Celebrating Mom's Day

These tips are based on the premise in our book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, that celebrating can be fun, but also done with an awareness of what we call the 3G's--Good for people (those who make or grow products as well as those who use them), good for the Earth and good for the community.

Good for People:

• Make a gift from something your mom treasures. For instance, if she's lost an earring, take the remaining one and turn it into a charm she can hang from a necklace. Make a picture frame using a copy of a book she loves. A digital scrapbook on a DVD is sure to please any mom. Search online craft sites for unique easy-to-make items from objects you or she, already own.

• Shop your local stores for handmade items including soaps from organic materials, beeswax candles and clothing or purses fashioned from vintage items and fabrics.

• If your mom lives far away and you want to send flowers, get them from an organic supplier. Most flowers are imported from places where pickers are subjected to massive doses of pesticides.

• Considered creatively recycled jewelry, heirloom pieces or jewelry from ethically sourced dealers in gold and jewels like the following:
  • Jewelry from recycled electronics
  • 100% cork recycled bracelet
  • Conflict-free diamonds
  • Green Karat
  • 100% cork recycled bracelet
  • Conflict-free diamonds
  • Green Karat

• Purchase items from women's co-ops or other companies that support women and families in need of help. Here are a few to check out:
  • The Monsoon Group
  • I am a Peacekeeper
  • Save Your World

Good for the Earth:

• For a meaningful, but eco-friendly card option, send your mom a link to Lynn's Mother's Day tribute. Get out your hankie and click here to see it.

• Plan a picnic using re-usable tableware. Be sure to pop everything into the dishwasher afterwards (don't leave that to mom). Or order corn-based, biodegradeable picnic items.

• Include at least one outdoor activity in the festivities. Take a walk, visit a park.

• If she has a book list, borrow books from the library for her with pick up and return guaranteed. Or go to EcoLibris and plant a tree for one you buy for her.

• Don't buy anything. Instead give of yourself in ways your mom will appreciate.

• If purchasing a paper Mother's Day card, choose one from recycled or tree free options. Be sure cards are free from glitter or attachments that make it difficult to recyle if mom doesn't hold on to every card you've sent since kindergarden.

Good for the Community:

• Purchase locally grown (preferably organic) flowers or items for a lunch from a farmer's market.

• Select a local charity and give a donation in your mom's name.

• Host a fun afternoon for moms whose children live far away, perhaps in an assisted living center, hospital or nursing home.

• Plant a rose bush of another favored plant and add a plaque with her name and a brief tribute.