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PARENTING BOOKMARK’S GREEN EXPERT
Dr. Alan Greene
What is green?
One of the things that we look at in healthcare is the nature of relationships between living things. From my perspective, green is a symbiotic or mutual relationship between us and our ecosphere where we both benefit. Too often humans have been parasites on our planet, depleting resources and leaving a trail of toxins. And in turn, our planet has become our predator, triggering a host of increasing environmental illnesses.
Every step in a green direction can make a difference. One of the things I talk about a lot is leaving your campsite better than I found it, and that relates to the relationship between us and our ecosphere.
Why did you write Raising Baby Green?
I wrote Raising Baby Green as a collection of techniques for changing the environmental reality for our children. When someone is pregnant or has a young child, she is uniquely concerned about the future. It’s a time of great change, and it’s the perfect time to consider changing even long-standing habits: more people quit smoking during pregnancy than any other time. Healthful habits established during pregnancy and early childhood can the biggest impact. If they become aware of the importance of the environment to their children, even the toughest habits can change.
Why should people who don’t care about being green themselves care about raising their baby green?
Illnesses arise from interplay between our genes and the environment. But when you look at all the conditions on the rise in kids – problems such as asthma, ADD, high blood pressure, childhood cancers, diabetes – you can’t blame our genes. These conditions have increased so rapidly in the last 30 years that we know the environment is the problem, which means that the environment also holds the answers. The book gives people – whether they value being green or not – practical suggestions for tilting the odds in favor of their children.
What types of “eco-conflicts” have you seen from new parents?
The biggest eco-conflict for new parents is a financial one.They get excited about organic foods and then see the price tag. In the long run, they understand that if they invest in healthy food and a green environment for their children, they may see cost-savings down the line in medical bills, etc. But with new parents, cash is often really tight, and they have to decide what they can do. That’s why I wrote Raising Baby Green with lists so parents can make the best green choices for every room in the house no matter what their budget.
