It’s easy being green (really)

MOMS ON A MISSION The EcoMom Alliance meets to discuss living la vida verde.

From the thoughtful and thought-provoking (“Can we buy a Prius?”) to the zealous and frown-provoking (“I don’t need to take a shower; it just wastes water!”), kids are leading their families to think more about the environment, thanks to lessons they’re getting outside the home. A new crop of local groups and services is growing to support parents and their mini environmentalists looking to lighten their carbon footprints.

The national organization EcoMom Alliance, which posits that one of nature’s strongest forces is a network of mothers, has a Chicago chapter (ecomomalliance.org, or contact Heidi at 773-531-7576, heidi@itsacoolerplanet.com for meeting time and site info) that gets together monthly. Discussion moves freely between personal goals, such as learning to compost or weaning the family off paper towels, to the larger, more politically charged issue of cleaning up Lake Michigan. Many of the moms say their husbands start as doubters but eventually follow along and wind up bragging about their own eco-mindedness.

Another national group with a Chicago chapter is the Holistic Moms Network (home.homewebs.com/hmnchicagoil). Local members meet the third Thursday of each month at Whole Foods Lakeview (3300 N Ashland Ave at School St, 773-244-4200). The focus of HMN isn’t strictly eco-issues, but its goals of helping parents make informed decisions about healthy living often are tied closely to the environment, from buying local and organic food to avoiding toxins in cleaning products and medications. Membership costs $45 a year for an individual or $60 for a family.

Working on her own, with a computer and some serious convictions, Manda Aufochs Gillespie, a.k.a. the Green Mama (greenmama.com), is developing a following around Chicago. She teaches green-parenting and green-living classes throughout the city and writes for the blog at Little Green People Show (lpgshow.org). Gillespie also visits homes and day-care facilities to offer individual tips on saving green (as in dollars) by going green.

The Notebaert Nature Museum (2430 N Cannon Dr at Fullerton Pkwy, 773-755-5100, naturemuseum.org), which is behind the Little Green People Show website and its podcasts, plans to launch a club for eco-conscious parents in the fall. In the meantime, weekly podcasts are hosted by Eco Chicks, two local women who offer anecdotes and advice about the steps they’re taking to become more sustainable—and the stumbles they’re making along the way.

Stay-at-home Evanston moms Jane Corey Holt and Catherine Flanagan turned their interest in green living into a consulting service for families who want to change but don’t know where to start. Green Homes (847-977-1527, greenhomesllc.net) looks at ways families can reduce their energy use and amount of waste. Changes start with small steps, such as unplugging appliances when they’re not being used, and build from there. “Our philosophy is everyone can do something, and it’s often easier than you think,” Holt says.

Green City Market (773-435-0280; chicagogreencitymarket.org), the city’s only fully organic farmers’ market, offers Sprouts for Kids, a new program this year where kids are challenged to taste locally grown, in-season fruits and vegetables from the market. “We’re trying to reach this next generation of kids,” executive director Lyle Allen says. Easier with strawberries than rutabaga, perhaps, but so far the response has been “hugely successful.”

Green Paws Chicago (773-944-0196, greenpawschicago.com) addresses the eco-needs of four-legged creatures. The 24-hour service, headed by Barb Morgan-Browning, employs dog walkers who carry biodegradable bags for picking up waste and prints advertisements and correspondence on recycled materials, with recycled ink. When pet sitters and walkers have to drive to reach customers, they even track mileage so the company can plant trees to offset the carbon they’ve left behind. Proof here that furry family members can get in on the act, too.