Given the title of this blog is “green nursery,” it seems appropriate to share my perspective on what “green” means here. Some of the most commonly discussed steps towards “living green” include: protecting our natural resources, choosing recycled content products, buying Energy Star appliances that use less energy, and reducing CO2 emissions by buying local, etc.

But I believe that “green” is more than just about the environment. This perspective is very much informed by my experience starting Q Collection Junior.

We take a two-pronged approach to “green”.  Our focus is equally about health – specifically protecting the health and well-being of the people and communities that live with, make, move, or otherwise come into contact with the products in question.  The health of our environment cannot be isolated from our own health.  They are symbiotic.

We hope that when looking for “green” products for the home or nursery, parents will consider health to be equally important as the environment. An example of elevating one consideration over the other is a product made of sustainably harvested materials but off-gasses chemicals that can cause harm to children in a variety of ways.

Here at Q Collection Junior, we say, PEOPLE SAFE.  PLANET SAFE.  This concept is at the core of our mission, meaning we use only the healthiest, most environmentally-friendly materials and processes.  And never one without the other.  We were founded with that goal in mind and we will never deviate from that.

If you are interested in digging deeper on the health aspect of “green,” here is a link to a recent New York Times op-ed essay by Dr. Phil Landrigan, founder and Director of The Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.  The article is not for the faint of heart; it speaks of serious health issues for children related to chemical exposures, but it does address a valuable question:

What can you do to protect yourself and your children?  My advice is that you take simple steps to reduce your exposures to toxins and chemicals in the environment, and that you work together with other parents in your communities to push for safe alternatives where you children live, eat and play! – Dr Phil Landrigan

A goal for this blog will be to continue our discussion of what ‘green’ really means, by illustrating the parallels between the environment and our health.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 3:55 pm and is filed under Grab Bag, Green Living, Health & Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.