Why I Breastfeed

I've been putting off this topic because it seems highly personal, but I think it's time to share the benefits I've found in breastfeeding.

First, the most obvious reason is that it is the best food for my baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year. Breast milk offers more nutrients and antibodies than can be found in formula, and is uniquely adjusted to the needs of your baby in every moment; your body responds to baby's needs every time he eats.

Second, we save money. Formula is expensive! Breastfeeding just requires me to eat a few extra calories, which I'll happily do. In spite of my extra caloric intake, it also helps me to lose my baby weight. Gotta love that.

And then there are the environmental reasons. Formula comes in packaging, which must be thrown away, which means more junk in landfills. In addition, the packaging and formula require energy to be created. Using formula requires bottles, nipples, liners, etc. that must be produced, washed, and eventually thrown away. (To be fair, as a breastfeeding and pumping mom, I use bottles as well, but some women have lifestyles that allow them to exclusively breastfeed.) Finally, using formula requires fuel; a vehicle must get it to the store, and then you have to take your vehicle to go get it.

Breastfeeding is not without its difficulties. In my first weeks home with my newborn, a friend said to me "I don't know why you wouldn't breastfeed." I thought to myself, "I do." The first three weeks were incredibly difficult. My little (big) guy wanted to eat every 1-2 hours; my entire world had shifted to feeding the hungry boy. It was exhausting. But I also recall a very distinct moment when he was three weeks old and had finally started falling into a routine. He had just woken up and started eating, and I felt a sudden pleasure and bond in breastfeeding him. From there on, it has been an enjoyable experience. Even after an incredibly painful clogged duct at about 3 months, I'm happily breastfeeding.

I have all intentions of discontinuing breastfeeding at a year. Perhaps something will convince me to switch to formula before then. (Let's be honest; my baby doesn't have teeth yet, and I bet that's a whole new set of challenges.) But for now, I'm happy and proud to be breastfeeding. I know he's getting the best, and so is the planet.

 

Fat Tire Beer

I'm not a beer drinker, but Nate is. We were very excited to discover that his new beer of choice is also an incredibly socially responsible company. New Belgium Brewing makes Fat Tire Amber Ale. While Nate loves the flavor, we also both love what the company stands for. The "Company Core Values" include:

• Kindling social, environmental and cultural change as a business role model.
• Environmental stewardship: Honoring nature at every turn of the business
• Balancing the myriad needs of the company, our coworkers and their families.
• Having Fun.

What fantastic values. They demonstrate these values in a number of ways, including: 

• Wind powered
• Employee owned company
• Use of natural lighting
• Promotion of bike commuting
• Low-water landscaping
• Use of reclaimed materials
• Porous sidewalks

Nate can feel good about a beer that tastes good and that matches our socially responsible values. A great discovery just in time for the summer cabin season! 

Home Energy Audit

We just got done receiving a home energy audit from Tom Nolz with the Neighborhood Energy Connection. Tom was full of information about how to improve our home's efficiency. We were excited and proud to be told that we are currently in the top 5-10% for our minimal energy use. But we also know there's always room for improvement. 

Tom's biggest task was to complete a blower test. He sealed a big blower into our front door and then essentially sucked all the air out of the house. Then he and Nate walked around to literally feel all the spots where air can get into the house from openings in our home. Our furnace had hot air being sucked in like a wind tunnel. In addition, our patio door is warped and a strong breeze made its way through the cracks in this door. This might be a replacement we'll take care of in the near future.

Tom suggested that we do regular, annual tune ups on our furnace, but it probably wouldn't be the greenest option to replace it because our heating use is so low. 

I would highly recommend getting an energy audit done on your home. Tom was extremely knowledgeable. He was very positive and supportive, and he provided realistic suggestions that we could handle making. He didn't make us feel bad about the giant leaks in our patio door and furnace; he just helped us to see how we could realistically make these problems better. When he suggested a swinging patio door and I said I wasn't interested, he was able to provide another option that would still be an improvement on our current situation (a wood frame sliding door will be less likely to warp than a vinyl frame door). 

All you need to do to get started is contact your energy company (We just called Xcel Energy). 

Let us know if you get some new ideas for efficiency after your audit!

A picture of the Blower Door Test. This man is not Tom :)

Great Veggie Recipe!

After a brief hiatus from our weekly vegetarian dinners, we recommitted with this tasty dish: Baja Black Bean Cakes with Spicy Sweet Potato Sauce. Thanks to Simply Organic for directing me to The Vegan Chef for this recipe. We are loving our adventures in vegetarian eating (although Nate hates the excessive dirty dishes I create when I dive in to new cooking territory--I cook and Nate does dishes, thus inhibiting my ability to limit my dish use.)  

We took the Mow-Hi Pledge!

Our 3" Lawn

This year, the city of Maplewood challenged citizens to take the Mow-Hi Pledge. According to the pledge, raising your lawnmower to 3 inches has a number of benefits for your yard, the environment, and yourself.

In addition to raising lawnmower height, we agreed to leave clippings on the lawn. Some benefits of these 2 simple steps include:

• Research shows that the shorter you mow, the faster the lawn grows. This seems counter intuitive, but it's true. Therefore, you'll need to mow less frequently. The City of Maplewood recommends timing your cuts so you remove no more than 1/3 of the blade height. 
• You'll save on water because longer blades shade the roots and therefore water loss is reduced.
• Root depth equals the height of the grass blades, so roots reach down further for water. 
• Leaving clippings on the lawn substitutes for 1/3 the fertilizer a lawn needs per year. 
• Less mowing equals less gasoline used (or, if you use a battery powered mower like us, less electricity used). 

For more information about leaving your lawn long, visit the University of Minnesota's Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series.