So since becoming a father a few things have become all to prevalent in my thoughts. I am sure that this is the case for many parents as you begin to make changes and take stock of your life. First off, I have started thinking a great deal about my own life as a child, perhaps planning for an equally rewarding experience for my little fellows. Of course, my memories often leave out several of the more traumatic experiences and frequently dwell on the exciting or enjoyable (for example, I think of trips to Florida or Disney and leave out the countless visits to Pioneer Villages). Second, I have started to think about my own mortality...which is something I have often avoided as I have not yet come to terms with it. Completely related to this is a third new thought which is what world will I leave my children and how will I teach them to leave the world to their kids.
When we found out we were having twins we decided to make an effort to limit the impact our little ones would have on the environment. We made a choice to go with cloth diapers, which took some getting used to for both us and the babies, and is requiring further adjustment now that we are starting on solid foods. I'll explain this further, the cloth diapers we use (happy nappy), in order to be absorbent tend to be much thicker than your traditional disposable. They are also unique as they are often hand made and so there is some variation in fit. Finally, there is a liner, which adds an additional step to each diapering session. On our initial attempt, Adrienne and I didn't know if we would be able to do it...but now, 6 months later, we are hooked and definitely wouldn't go in the other direction. We do use disposables when we are traveling (appointments, visiting, etc.) and that's enough for us.
Our second commitment was to source as many of our purchases on resale websites like kijiji or craigslist. Not only does this make good economic sense (the baby product industry, and I believe I can call it that as in my opinion any industry that convinces us that our babies need a warmer for something that wipes their butts is in it for the almighty $$$), but it also supports others in your local area. In doing this, where ever possible we have tried to buy products that will last and that can be resold or donated to others at a later date.
In all of our purchases, we have tried to buy products that are made in Canada a plan that carried over from our recent home purchase. We often do this at a greater expense than if we were to cruise down to the local Walmart (there are soon to be 3 within 3 km of our house...yikes!), but I am more than willing to pay a few dollars more for something that was made here, employed a Canadian but more importantly didn't come across an ocean on a giant, diesel guzzling ship. The sad part is that what you will find is that there are many things that you simply can't find that have been produced here. Sad in the sense that it is seen as cheaper (not more sustainable) to ship millions of tiny baby spoons from across the ocean than to simply make them here...in the end though, I question the cheaper/more profitable part of this argument when in the long run it may be our generation or even worse my boys' generation that will need to figure out how to maintain society without fossil fuels to produce food, ship items, drive to work, etc.
We have also made an effort to make our own food. Again, there are sometimes that this is a challenge and it simply doesn't make sense to do so. This way we can control what is put in the food, but we can also cut down on the amount of additional waste that we generate. So far, so good on this one. Our boys seem ok with their pureed peas, carrots, yams and pears and Adrienne is an excellent cook, I haven't yet ventured into this world.
