Cheap and Green

Wow. All manner of crazies. Republicans on climate change.

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:49:38 -0500

Wow. All manner of crazies. Republicans on climate change.

My take on diapers

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:26:37 -0500

Ah. The joys of motherhood. This morning, I was barfed on by a smiling 4 month old right after changing her cloth diaper. Why yes, I do use cloth diapers. Despite some studies that insist cloth is no more environmentally friendly than disposables, I made the decision to cloth diaper my babies for many reasons. First and foremost - the environmental impact. I know studies have shown that the water and electricity used to launder diapers, along with their manufacturing process, make cloth a wash compared to disposables in terms of energy usage. Sure, that’s understandable. But what about pollution?

What I don’t believe these studies considered is that less than half of disposable diapers are disposed of properly. The directions on diaper packaging instruct users to flush fecal matter down the toilet before throwing the diaper away. I don’t know anyone who follows those directions. Improperly processed fecal matter can contain e. coli and all manner of other nasties, which is not something we want to add to the environment. There’s also the matter that in a household with a diapered child, disposable diapers make up about 50% of the household’s solid waste. Ack!

I also considered cost. So far, I have spent approximately $350 on diapering and expect to spend another $100 before my daughter is potty trained. Potty training generally occurs at around 2.5 years, but we’ll say 3 years. That’s a total of $450 total on diapers. It costs me about $7 more a month to wash and dry the diapers, less in the spring/summer when I can air dry them. That’s $702 over the span of 3 years to diaper a baby. If you buy your disposable diapers at a warehouse club, you can diaper for about $40 a month. For 36 months (3 years) of diapering, that’s $1,440. Already, cloth is coming in at less than half the price of disposables. But wait! There’s more!

I can sell my used diapers. On Ebay, the 7 pocket diapers I have could go for as much as $10-12 each USED. With my second child, I bought used Fuzzibunz pocket diapers and sold them for the same amount I bought them. I diapered her nearly for free.

If you’re debating cloth vs. disposables, weigh your options. There are many variables. It may be more difficult for you if you take your laundry to a laundromat or have a partner who is unwilling to change cloth diapers. There are also greener alternatives for those who wish to use disposables. Though generally more expensive, some environmentally friendly disposables - like Nature Babycare - are compostable.

Cloth vs. Disposable

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:25:43 -0500

Cloth vs. Disposable

It ain't easy bein' cheap and green....

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:41:00 -0500

I started this blog over a year ago and let it sit with a very few posts. With spring coming in full force, I feel a need to renew and breathe life into an old, dusty endeavor! So I’m starting over - pulling out the old growth and dropping in new seeds.

My name is Courtney. I am no expert. I participate in a lot of things - mothering, activism, art and craft, community building are a few. My husband and I are starting a modest urban homestead in the middle of Fayetteville, AR. This being our first year, we’re starting small with a worm bin in the kitchen, a compost bin in the backyard, and some container gardening. Eventually, we’ll move on to harder stuff, like chickens.

This blog won’t only be about what we already do, though. It will be about resources, plans, and experiments - both successful and not so much. I’ll also talk about household habits and strategies, interacting with school and community, and the politics of environmentalism and economy.

First up, diapering the baby!