Cloth Nappies - Going green or Back to normal?
Many of us would become green if we had time but most people view sustainable living as an alternative way of life so it could be quite time consuming to live like that... Whatever!!!!
I find it fascinating how in one generation what has been done for centuries is now an alternative way of living. Looking back at my parents and grandparents lifestyles, everything that we classify today as being a sustainable, alternative way of living, our parents and grandparents did as part of their normal day to day activities.
- Everyone had a compost heap in their back yard.
- Everyone grew their own Vegetables and fruit
- All of the packaging was paper or reusable bags
- They didn't waste anything because no one could afford to
- They did not over buy food, only getting just what they needed
- Everything was packed in glass or paper
- We all had reusable milk bottles
- Clothing was high quality so it lasted a long time
- Furniture was made from renewable sources
- Everyone used cloth nappies
I think that we are just being lazy! We have taken what were always alternatives (expensive convenience items) to our parents and turned them into being normal and labeled everything that was normal alternative.
Some parents claim they don't like the thought of using cloth nappies because they assume that their baby will be more comfortable in disposables. I always ask them this question, "Given the choice what would you prefer to wear? Lovely soft breathable bamboo undies or a pair of scratchy bleached paper disposable undies?" It always surprises me how many parents will ensure their new baby only eats organic food and wears organic cotton clothing but then they wrap their newborn baby's brand new skin, up in a disposable nappy.
Many disposable companies use hydrogen peroxide to bleach the nappy fibers and the nappy itself is made from trees or tree scraps and may also contain paper pulp, plastics, absorbent gel granules and chemical additives in the plastics and perfumes. All these chemicals and materials impact on the environment and the end product is far from natural and is certainly not what I would call a comfortable item of clothing.
When will we once again become responsible for our increasingly waste filled lifestyles and actually go back to the centuries old normal way of living by being responsible for our own crap?
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