Every now and then I like to flick through a good old trashy magazine.
Recently I picked up Marie Claire while at the checkout, and found an interesting little piece inside titled ‘Planet Vs Baby – Is It Environmentally Selfish To Have More Kids?’.
Well, what a mine field.
Marie Claire was very even in its arguments, providing compelling statements for and against by many professionals, including the statistic that the World Wildlife Fund believes the world will actually have twice as many people, population wise, as is sustainable by 2030, and that it would only cost 1.5% of one year’s global economic growth to fix the problem of global warming.
So after reading the all the arguments, did I feel compelled in any particular direction? Not especially. I certainly had my eyes opened about a few issues, and have always hoped that my children will be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Several of the points raised were about the fact that the poorer countries in the world, even though they have a much higher population growth percentage than Western countries, contribute much less in carbon emissions than us. So it seems us wealthy countries have a lot of work to do, regardless of whether we have children or not.
Consciousness in existence seems to be the moral of the story for me.
What do you think, did you consider the planet while planning your family? This is a highly emotional issue and I can imagine people will feel strongly one way or the other.
Photo Source: SXC
I have joined brand4tomorrow’s Facebook Page! My name is Tamara Turner.
We were given a lot of hand me downs, and have also passed all of our clothes around to friends who have had new babies, you quickly get past not wanting to put a baby in something that looks perfectly white! Nothing stays looking immaculate for long.
Toys are such a problem as well, my friend calls plastic toys ‘landfill’ toys, hence we also call shops that sell these almost exclusively, not naming names, ‘landfill’ shops. Joining a toy library once you are at the toy stage is a great idea, and there are many better options out there for toys other than plastic. Another of our little friend’s favourite toys is an icecream bucket full of milk container lids. Talk about turning trash into treasure.
One new toy that is invaluable for a small baby is called a ‘Sophie’… she is a giraffe made from natural rubber and has a shape that is easy for little learning hands to hold, and soothing to chew on when teething.