EC: Great for the Environment.
Reduce Your Overall Nappy Use by Practicing a Little
Elimination Communication With Your
Baby.
Being Part Time Nappy Free has the potential to make a
noticeable impact on the amount of nappy related waste going into landfill and
taking up your time with managing it all.
 As you become part time nappy free, you'll find many ways of reducing your
impact on our global environment by the choice it will offer you, the money you
will save...
When you start looking into it, the three "R's", Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
apply in many ways to the gentle practice of Elimination Communication, and you
also get the bonus of a new understanding of your baby's needs and
communication.
Recycling is great - reducing and reusing are better.
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A new EC related email in
my inbox every week was very encouraging and I was always excited to
read about it which helped me stay motivated. I really liked reading
everything! I love the rambling!!That's one of the things I liked the
best about your site...I didn't feel like I was reading a textbook on EC
but rather YOUR personal experiences which made me realize that
my experiences don't have to be the same but could be just as
successful.
Ariel, Living in Paris, France, originally from NY, USA
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The Many 'R's' of Elimination Communication...
Consider these ideas:
Reduce
- Reduce your use of nappies by just one per day...
- Reduce your changing of pooey nappies by 'catching' them in a baby
potty, bucket or the loo!
- Reduce your need for nappies, nappy bags, nappy creams, baby wipes...
- Reduce your overall reliance on nappies by having a more casual approach
to using them by practicing EC...
- Reduce your dependence on disposable products as you'll have more money
to spend on re-usable options when dabbling in EC...
- Reduce the risk of nappy rash as you are confident in managing
nappy-free time and are learning to carry a part time nappy free baby around
at home.
- Reduce the money you are spending on disposable nappies.
- Reduce waste by composting eco-disposables in your compost.
Reuse
- Reuse, for several hours, then at times all day long, nappies that stay dry and clean - just like
knickers!
- Reuse cloth wipes..
- Reuse flannels again and again.
- Reuse washable nappies over and over...
- Reuse washable EC mats...
- Reuse your EC gear for your next baby (and with the money you will
have saved you can get some
special new gear)
Recycle
- Recycle old towels into EC Mats or boosters for EC undies, to line nappy
covers as easy quick-change nappies.
- Buy recycled 'reclaimed fabric' wipes at
Flannel Fings.
- Recycle 'reclaimed' bed mats from
Valethics.
- Buy 'Gently Used' Cloth Diapers from the online auction places popping
up.
- Recycle - Swap, Sell or Buy your 'Pre-Worn' EC Gear via
EC Swap Yahoo Group
Remove
- Remove the sheer bulk of disposable nappy waste from your household
rubbish as you slowly use less nappies.
- Remove the bulk of nappies that currently fill up your washing machine -
down to a manageable level.
- Remove some of the sources of chemicals from your home.
Repair
- replace spent hook and loop tape with snaps
or poppers
- attach a colourful appliqué patch - either by
sewing or iron-on to refresh and give a new feel to your washable nappies or
EC Pants for a new baby
- dye natural fabrics for a new colour boost
(and a fun afternoon dyeing)
- sew on a button and continue to use.
What About Precycling?
Precycling is the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid bringing
into the home 'things' which will generate waste. Precycling includes
any attempts to reduce the production of waste.
By Being Part Time Nappy Free, You are Practicing
Precycling!
Precycling includes such practices as:
- buying consumables in bulk to reduce packaging,
- buying consumables in recyclable packaging over non-recyclable packages,
- avoiding junk mail,
- using electronic media for reading materials, (especially throwaway items such
as magazines or newspapers.)
When considering the original three 'R's' for waste management, "Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle," Precycling, like practicing elimination communication,
emphasises "reducing and reusing".
Even though recycling is a tangible way to reduce the amount of waste going
into landfills, it still requires large amounts of energy to process and then
re-manufacture items, which continues to send large amounts of pollution into
the air, so long-term it is not a 'sustainable' answer to the problem of waste.
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Puddin' Pop and I started to EC because we do cloth
diapers.
Since I was changing her diaper right away
after she pooped, why not put her on the potty to poop?
That worked out pretty well so we started to sit on
the potty after she woke up in the morning and after naps. Some days it
works out well, some days not so well but I'll always grateful we are
trying!
Tara and Puddin' Pop from Michigan in the United
States.
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How could you be 'precycling' when practicing EC?
 Simply,
by learning how to connect with and communicate with your baby to reduce the
number of nappies you need to buy, and then manage. Or reducing the number of
cloth nappies you are washing, and then reusing them with future children,
selling them or passing them on to others, such as through the
Miracle Diapers
Program and similar programs.
- By using 'reusable' versions of accessories such as wipes, wet bags, and
of course the nappies, EC pants and training pants themselves as often as
you can. (ANY reduction is GOOD!)
- By carrying with you a "precycling kit" when you are
outside of your home, such as creating your own 'Very Portable Potty System'
(VPPS), carrying a small potty with you in the car and using:
- A terry flat cloth nappy for general baby spills.
- Cloth Nappies.
- Cloth wipes dampened in a small wet bag.
- A Wet Bag for used (wet) items.
- A glass jar for storing wees from the potty until an appropriate
disposal place is available.
- All items might be carried in a cloth bag that can double as a shopping
bag. Large Wet Bags are great for carrying a baby potty and your VPP System
around.
So, when you are part time nappy free you are embracing the "Green" movement,
caring for our environment by practicing EC and the 3 "R's" of Recycle, Reuse,
Reduce, and perhaps best of all, reducing through "Precycling" and avoiding
using some of those nappies at all.
Remember: The most environmentally friendly nappy is the one you don't use - even if your baby is wearing it!
Do you have some more ideas for me to add to this page? Insights into
how we are reusing, recycling, repairing, precycling or reducing while
practicing EC? Please,
contact me and let me know, I like to continue adding valuable
insights and links.
Did You Know Babies Enjoy Potty Songs? (Of Course!)
Are you ready to sing some potty songs with your baby?
Sign up for the 7 Secrets to Your Nappy Free Confidence
and I'll send you over 40 of them!
To discover 12 ways you can become greener in your nappy choices,
choices you can make a difference with before you even start to practice
any EC,
come inside to see the 7 Secrets.. your membership is free, the sign-up
is so that I can give you ongoing access to the members-only areas
containing the 7 secrets to EC confidence.
The Nappy Library is a brand new initiative starting in
Melbourne, Australia. The Nappy Library hires out small cloth nappy kits. So you
can 'try before you buy'. You will also be 'Reusing' - good karma for
the environment! Consider donating your excess cloth nappies. They are
planning to expand to other cities. Check out this great idea.
More About Elimination Communication:
Read about how EC can play a small part in our drive to reduce the carbon
emissions and pollution that contribute to global warming.
Global Warming and Elimination Communication
Read more about
my unique online learning experience,
Part Time Nappy Free! by clicking here...
Information about Going Green: Reducing, Reusing and Recycling and
environmental sustainability.
Green Promise
The Green
Pages
Go Greener
Australia Blog
Greenfoot
Australian Conservation Foundation: Green Home
Ockham’s Razor:
musings of the lazyst environmentalyst
Mother Earth News
The Earth Day Network
Recycle More UK
Wiki
on the Waste Heirarchy... (precycling reference)
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Develop
Your Nappy Free Confidence as you Discover the Joys of Practicing
Elimination Communication
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