5 Changes for a More Eco-Friendly Pregnancy

If you're wondering about ways you can be more earth-friendly, you're not alone. Pregnant or not, people all over the world are concerned about the environment and are taking steps to to make changes, both big and small. 

Pregnancy creates a unique time in a person's overall life when it comes to materials and resources used. By making a few intentional changes, you can contribute to positive changes for our environment. All actions, big and small, have an impact. Also, because everyone's situation in life is different, keep in mind that even one small change that works within your particular constraints, is beneficial. 

Clothing - Buying any kind of new clothing is an action that eventually puts more textiles into the landfill. According to the Center for Eco Technology, in 2014, there was 32.44 billion pounds of textiles in the waste stream in the United States. Even if you donate your clothing (currently in the US, only about 15% are being recycled), an article of clothing has a finite lifespan and still at some point will be discarded. You can help keep clothing out of the landfill by wearing maternity clothes that have been previously worn, either by purchasing online, sourcing in second-hand stores, or sharing with friends and family. Bonus is that you'll save money, too! 

Food - Buying organic food keeps harmful chemicals out of your body and it also helps the environment. Organic farming reduces pollution, conserves water, and improves the condition and health of the surrounding land and wildlife. 

Food storage - For many people, a happy pregnancy involves lots of snacks. Reusable containers instead of disposable one-time use bags and containers are a much better choice for the environment, and in the long run, your wallet. Metal, stainless steel, and glass containers offer safer and more sustainable choices than reusable plastic containers and drink bottles. If you don't have a good selection of eco-friendly containers, slowly phase out what you do have, making sure to recycle old containers (when possible) or donate them for good use. You can list them on your local Buy Nothing Facebook page!

Cleaners - The products you use for cleaning matter to your health as well as the environment's. To make the switch easier, locate products in your store with the Safer Choice logo. Safer Choice products have been identified as products with ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. You can take a look at what you already own and see if those products are listed in the Safer Choice product registry.  

Baby registry - Make a more eco-friendly baby registry by choosing items that are known to be environmentally friendly due to the materials (baby gear, clothing, and toys) and ingredients used (in soaps, lotions, diaper cream, etc.). Also consider what you can buy/acquire used and reevaluate what you truly need for baby (hint: it's not as much as you may think).  

In what ways are your "greening" your pregnancy?