So...Which Is It?

Diapers: Cloth or Disposable?

There doesn't seem to be any way around it: diapers are plentiful and necessary (or at the very least, very, very welcome). But when it comes to cloth vs. disposable, the great diaper debate drones on.

The bad news:
Disposable diapers clog landfills.
Washing cloth diapers turns lots of clean water into detergent wastewater.

The good news:
Well, not good news exactly - but in terms of relative damage, it's really up to you to pick your poison. True "greenies" really shouldn't look at you askance either way, so pick what works for you, apply your choice responsibly*, and know you're doing your best.

Check this out:
http://www.grist.org/gristTV/umbra/2008/11/11/?source=daily

*(If you go with disposables, look for unbleached, organic, and/or recycled-content diapers. If you go with cloth, use hand-me-downs! Wash in cold, using eco-friendly detergents.)

So there you have it. Go forth and diaper.

Um . . . are you gonna throw that away?

;Try this:
Just for a day, start turning things upside-down. Check out the numbers on the bottoms of recyclable things. You've seen them - they run 1-7 and indicate the type of material an item is made of, which also determines its level of recyclability.

I've been having fun educating myself on these categories (it takes a certain kind of mind, I know...) and in case you're curious, thought I'd put together a little primer. Enjoy!


You're good to go! These items are recyclable in most areas.
(But first...do you need it?)

1 (PETE: polyethylene terephthalate)
found in clear plastic bottles and jars

2 (HDPE: high-density polyethlylene)
found in non-clear plastic milk jugs, detergent/bleach bottles, shampoo bottles, some plastic bags

6 (PS: polystyrene)
found in white foam bakery shells and meat trays, packing peanuts, styrofoam insulation, disposable coffee cups and lids, disposable cutlery


Well . . . where do you live? These are only recyclable in areas that have recycling facilities big enough to manage them.
(Psst...check out your town's website to see what it can and can't recycle. And/or...can you find a more sustainable alternative?)

3 (PVC: polyvinyl chloride)
found in cooking oil bottles, shrink wrap

4 (LDPE: low-density polyethylene)
found in plastic grocery bags, Ziploc bags, dry cleaning bags, produce bags, trash bags liners, disposable Tupperware

5 (PP: polypropylene)
found in yogurt containers, plastic bottle caps, drinking straws, syrup bottles, diapers


You're pretty much out of luck.
(Pssst...can you skip this purchase?)

7 (Other) a combination of plastics; generally considered non-recyclable




(Data extrapolated from: University of Mississippi Polymer Education Center, 1998.)


And don't forget:
REDUCE your need for stuff first. Buy less. Want less. Bring less into your home, put less out on the curb. Find other ways to scratch the itch.
REUSE everything, even if it means spending more to get a better item the first time around, then fixing it instead of replacing it.
RECYCLING should be a last resort, and unless you plan on keeping something pretty much indefinitely, strive to get out of the habit of making, buying, or tossing anything that's not recyclable.

"A Good Beginning Never Ends"

The theme for this year’s annual Kindermusik Convention (when Kindermusik educators come together from around the world) really couldn’t be more perfect. Not only is it a propos for Kindermusik International itself, 30 strong years later, but also a fitting “subtitle” for each child who has been given that good beginning - raised with thoughtful love and deliberate decisions aimed at opening his or her world to music.

Aaaaaand…it’s also the perfect definition of sustainability. What luck!

This November, as we celebrate Kindermusik’s 30th anniversary, prepare ourselves for the year to come, and honor and invigorate the educators who, sitting with children on floors around the world, make Kindermusik what it is, we’ll also be launching and announcing our commitments to sustainability.

As a company that honors every child and strives to create a world that honors their health, creativity, and happiness, we recognize that we must address our own environmental sustainability with clear eyes and seriousness of purpose. I can’t think of a more perfect place—or a more essential time—for us to make and announce this commitment. Stay tuned.

Our new (carbon) shoe size

Ready, set, go! Kindermusik is going green. Not in the what-can-we-do-to-make-ourselves-look-green way, but really, truly, in the it’s-time-we-took-a-good-hard-look-at-our-impact-and-did-something-about-it way.

Kindermusik has such a positive impact on the planet in so many ways—giving parents and children the tools to connect, giving children the opportunity to grow and explore . . . but in the meantime, we run an office with lights, computers, hand soap, and paper; we ship boxes of instruments around the world; most of our employees drive to work five days a week . . . if only we could know for sure that it would all balance out to a net positive.

First step? Doing the math. We’ve just completed gathering data for our first-ever “carbon footprint”. Might not seem like a big step, but it is. Think about your own carbon footprint for a minute—the amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas) you produce in the course of a year through traveling by car, bus, train, and plane; through the electricity you use; through the things you send and receive by mail; through the products you purchase (including food) that have been shipped overseas or across the country, etc. It may be a bigger “shoe size” than you’d like to think about, or it may seem silly to calculate it if there’s nothing you can do about it...

But quantifying is the first step towards solving. The whole point of calculating these numbers, of course, is to change them. And when you really think about it, changing them isn’t actually all that hard.

At Kindermusik, now that we know that our headquarters used about 282,000 kilowatt hours of electricity last year, for instance, and our employees drove more than 12,000 miles just getting to and from work, it’s time to get to work. We can’t wait to tell you about our progress.

Calculate your own carbon footprint!
There are lots of “carbon calculators” online – just search “carbon footprint” and you’ll get thousands of hits. Here’s a good one created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

EPA's Carbon Calculator

And if you’re really interested . . .
Here’s an interesting article on carbon footprinting consumer products (cars, shoes, laundry detergent jackets, milk, beer):

Wall Street Journal article

Coming Soon!

News on Kindermusik’s efforts to:

• Incorporate renewable energy
• Offer a carbon offsetting option for shipping
• Green our in-house purchasing
• Launch a brand new green packaging initiative
• De-mystify industry terms (Offsets? FSC? BPA? Help!)
• Help you integrate simple green principles into your own home and business
• …and more