This year more than others, the push to “Go Green” has become more prevalent. Everywhere we turn that phrase is being used by companies who either just recently introduced a green initiative or have been committed to helping Mother Earth for several years – or sometimes even decades.

Today, one of my favorite eco-friendly companies – Nalgene – is being featured on the Oprah Winfrey show in her Going Green 101 segment.  While I’m glad to hear Oprah gave the green light to this segment right before Earth Day so her viewers could make small changes in their lifestyle and help the environment; I’m especially happy to hear Nalgene will be included in the segment.

Several years ago, I was first introduced to the Nalgene water bottle by my uncle.  He walks everywhere in Manhattan and always carried a Nalgene bottle instead of a different bottled water every day.  And now it’s a rare day when you don’t see me carrying my pink N-Gen Nalgene water bottle.  So it wasn’t surprising last month when I did a Going Green segment for WCBS TV and included the latest addition to the Nalgene water bottle line in the segment – their Grip n Gulp cup (pretty much a bottle toddlers can’t destroy) which my son doesn’t go anywhere without.

I like that by making just a small lifestyle change in our household in choosing to use Nalgene bottles whenever possible we are doing our part to decrease the number of disposable plastic water bottles we use.   It’s a great way to help the environment without jumping fully into a new lifestyle we aren’t completely capable of keeping up.  After all, enough oil is used in the production of disposable water bottles annually to fuel 100,000 cars for a full year. 

Nalgene’s commitment to curbing America’s dependence on bottled water with their taste- and odor-resistant, leak proof plastic containers is expanding even further with their latest campaign to reduce disposable bottle waste called “Refill, Not Landfill”.  Nalgene research shows one person uses 166 bottles each year.  (In my opinion New Yorkers are probably responsible for a much larger number.) To decrease that number, consumers can take an online pledge at the Refill Not Landfill website to reduce their bottled water consumption by drinking from a reusable container for one week, one month or one year. 

If you support would like to support this campaign and purchase a limited edition Refill Not Landfill Nalgene bottle, all proceeds will go to Native Energy supporting their mission to help build Native American, farmer-owned, community based renewable energy projects that create social, economic, and environmental benefits.

MORE INFO:
Buy a Nalgene Bottle for you or a Grip n Gulp cup for your toddler.
Visit the Nalgene Outdoor website  
Refill, Not Landfill campaign website
Buy a Refill, Not Landfill limited edition bottle    
Learn more about Native Energy

* Don’t forget, this Sunday, April 22^nd is Earth Day.  Take your children to participate in the free festivities in your neighborhood. This Sunday, the kids and I will be participating in Earth Day festivities at the Green Apple Music Festival here in Manhattan.  The Laurie Berkner Band will be performing on The Great Hill in Central Park and Brady Rymer will be the opening band. Fun! *

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Pretty much everyone already knows I chose to wait until the baby is born to find out if a boy or girl would be arriving.  For those who chose to question this “earth shattering” decision, I politely reminded them I didn’t find out the baby’s gender this time around because I already have a little boy and a little girl and figured why not let this be a surprise… a healthy surprise.

But since that belly button of mine popped like a turkey dinner, strangers on the street have been taking it upon themselves to tell me their very scientific predictions on whether a boy or a girl will be arriving.   Without me asking.

That’s right; I never asked any of these people.  Not a one.  I am not sure if they think I couldn’t afford an ultrasound so it was up to them out of all the people in the city to tell me their 100% accurate prediction.  Or else I would have to wait a whole 40 weeks to find out the baby’s gender.

While waiting for the light to change so I could waddle across I heard –

Excuse me Miss but you are having a boy. That’s a boy you are having!

At the Pakistan Tea House where I was a regular because this pregnancy I was surprisingly able to eat mild and semi spicy chicken, the owner declared –

You are having a boy.

By the grocery store where I stood waiting to hail a cab –

It won’t be long before he comes.  That boy is ready.

The lady in the elevator who reached out and touched my belly questioned –

A boy, right?

At the kids’ pediatrician’s office while I waited to pay for the office visit –

I can’t see the pregnancy in your face at all.  That means you are having a boy.

And then the guy in the hallway at my new office walked by and said something different –

I have a girl at home. You are definitely having a girl.

Let’s just say, no matter what the final votes are for boy or girl, I’m not donating any baby clothing to charity just yet.  I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer before I regain space on my bedroom floor currently housing clothing trunks.

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The next time someone wants to write a story about motherhood, they should write about the absolutely unnecessary competition found between mothers. It is insane. And unfortunately it doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon.

The Mommy Wars (or whatever phrase it’s been packaged as this month) do nothing but separate women all needing a support group of some sort for this new phase of their life. Whether its friends, family, co-workers or an online message board, I find it hard to believe a mom could go the first year of motherhood without asking for advice. And if those moms are out there, hats off to you because I find motherhood to be the hardest job I’ve ever had.

I sit here in between phone calls and emails, happy to have healthy children and be a part of this group of strong women called mothers. It’s never been a thought of mine to consider the well thought out choices I’ve made for my family to be fodder for someone looking to judge me. But they are – which is incredibly unfortunate.

There are so many things going on which make it into the “Breaking News” that one would think we would all just be happy our families were safe and sound. But it doesn’t work that way. Maybe these judgmental moms don’t have their TVs on and are suffering from a case of boredom because they also do not subscribe to their local newspaper.

Because if they did, they would realizing having an epidural does not make you less of a mother. We all have to wake up in the middle of the night and change diapers; make sure the water temperature is just right before the babies take their bath and stress at one time or another about dinners for our picky eaters. And if they read what’s happening in their community besides the Arts & Living section, they would probably realize they shouldn’t unfairly judge someone you’ve at the playground on Saturday because you found out she works outside the home during the week.

My life isn’t easy. I don’t believe anyone has an easy life. Whether you are struggling to keep your sanity at home because you have a laundry list of things to do before your children get home from school or you find yourself in the middle of the divorce right after having a baby, we all have things happening in our lives and it’s just incredibly unfair to judge instead of support one another.

I’m guilty of being naive enough to think I could make a personal decision about my body and my children without being shunned. I don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me or my children because I made a choice about breastfeeding or diapering my children in something other than cloth diapers. What I need is to finally hear moms are going to come together and support each other so cases of post partum depression decline significantly. I need to hear moms are being treated the same whether they stay at home or they have a career which requires them to leave the house every day.

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