Parenting | Grist

A Crawl to Arms

Seventh Generation launches anti-toxics campaign with wee gimmick 6
Posted 2 days, 17 hours ago Feel like making babies? Now you can do it with the push of a button, by joining the Million Baby Crawl to support chemical policy reform.
Tank and File

Ask Umbra on replacing hot-water heaters 21
Posted 1 month ago When the parents of three little boys wonder which hot-water heater makes the most sense for them, Umbra sheds light on the issue.
Dispatch from the virtual front lines of parenting

The fight to save childhood 8
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago
What happens when sustainability and internet addiction collide? At the JP Green House, an experiment in unplugging commences along with the new school year.
More, More, More, said the parents

Ask Umbra on big families 48
Posted 2 months ago
When a woman worries that her daughter wants to have too many kids, Umbra steps in with some familial advice.
Walking the Chalk

Going back to school? Here’s a green cheat sheet 2
Posted 2 months ago
Whether you're making your first big-kid move to Kindergarten or hitting campus for your senior year, there are all sorts of ways to make yours an eco-education, from non-toxic school supplies to the classes you take.
Humbly lining up behind Thoreau

Blood, sweat, and vision: The JP Green House in its ugly duckling phase 3
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago
You can't tell from the tall grass and gutted interior that the JP Green House is going to be a model of sustainable living, but its creators still believe -- and most of their visitors do too.
Oh, those pesky existential questions!

Puppies and bunnies and carnivorous eco-curmudgeons 7
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Should the JP Green House raise and slaughter bunnies in their back yard? That's just one of the questions they're struggling with. Weigh in!
The not-so-trivial carbon impact of pet ownership

Should Kuba have a puppy? 19
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago
Kuba is cute! Puppies are cute! Kuba wants a puppy -- how cute! But pets come with carbon impacts attached ... does that mean no puppy? Vote now.
...or, how we fight over the kids, housework, and money like everyone else!

Love in a time of cataclysm 4
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago
Everyone told us that building a house could wreck a relationship. And from past experience, we knew it to be true. But we plunged ahead despite our fundamentally different ways of navigating this warming world.
The Root of the Matter

A tasting of nine “natural” root beers yields surprising results 12
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Your beverage aisle might showcase retro, handcrafted "root sodas" with exotic spices, certified organic root beers, a green-tea root beer, and a diet root beer spiked with an eco-sounding plant-based sweetener. Which to choose? Let our taste test be your guide.
Going Topless

Ask Umbra on buying a convertible 6
Posted 3 months, 4 weeks ago
A college-bound student with muy generous parents wonders which convertible car she should buy. Umbra, somewhat agog at the question, manages to uncover an answer.
food for thought

Not much convenience in “convenience foods” 6
Posted 4 months ago
A UCLA researcher performed an observational study of a group of L.A. families to see how they handled mealtimes. Surprisingly, dinner didn't get on the table any faster in homes that favored convenience foods.
Sunday on Bourne Street

Getting to know the neighborhood — through its trash 0
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago
What do the contents of curbside trash bins say about a place's past, its present, its future? Plenty -- you just have to know where (and how) to look.
Crazy About Carseats But Not Climate?

Child safety? A Father’s Day call for a longer view 1
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Every year around this time, the father in me starts thinking deep thoughts about why I’ve dedicated my career to environmental awareness and, in particular, helping people who don’t consider themselves activists understand why environmental issues should matter to them. For me, it’s simple. It’s the kids.
Recycling a House

How we found 133 Bourne St., and how we almost lost it 3
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Andrée Zaleska explains how she and Ken Ward bought the JP Green House just as the real-estate bubble was bursting, how their own bubble burst not long after, and how they got back on their feet.
Love in a time of cataclysm

Fighting climate chaos with a hammer and a heart 4
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Activist Ken Ward finds that his emotional responses to the climate crisis vary wildly, from despair to hope to anger. But one feeling remains constant: his love for partner Andrée and their JP Green House undertaking. He explains -- and invites others to share their experiences.
Mother Earth? Try Father Earth

Slideshow: Green dads we heart 5
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
When it comes to eco-parenting, mothers tend to get the spotlight. But there are plenty of fathers out there doing their part for both progeny and planet. We showcase a few of them here, including our own Grist staff dads.
Roberts' Rules of Offspring

This Father’s Day, don’t be green—be good 0
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Sure, we could put together another list of eco-friendly gift ideas -- but we've done that, and so has everyone else on the planet. Instead, we point you to some of the best parenting advice we've published lately, including an endearing essay by resident crank David Roberts.
Littler kids, bigger risks

New report details pesticide over-use in child care centers 0
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago
You make your home as green as you can -- but what happens when Jr. heads off to daycare? Fawn Pattison explains the risks, and what you can do.
Love Your Mother(s)

Gobs of green ideas for Mother’s Day 4
Posted 6 months ago
Tips for showing mom the love -- while showing a little respect to Mother Earth.