Start your green parenting journey today
Merton Green Parents is a volunteer group of local parents of children from newborn to teens, who have come together to share advice and ideas on how to make their parenting journey more sustainable. Anyone is welcome to join as a volunteer and they can also choose to join our volunteer core-group helping to coordinate activities and organise events.
We have a WhatsApp group where we share inspiration and ask for advice and connect with local parents. We also have a Facebook group were we can share ideas, ask questions, advertise events and celebrate successes.
We also aim to organise events (online and in person) to connect parents and to occasionally invite speakers, who can share their sustainable parenting journeys and ideas. As a volunteer member of Merton Green Parents you are also invited to support parents by writing blogs, reviewing books and products, and advertising and attending sustainably-linked or child-friendly events which we will publicise.
We aim to provide advice and share ideas, resources, tips and tricks covering many parenting themes, which include:
Newborns: Nappies, wraps, clothes, feeding, toys and trips.
Teens: Sustainable fashion, food, events, book-swaps, travel and hobbies.
Sustainable parties: From newborn to teen parties, party packs and sustainable decorations.
Easter: How to enjoy Easter sustainably, ideas to make, things to do, places to visit.
King's Coronation: Sustainable decorations, party ideas, and getting the children involved.
Summer holidays: Staycation ideas, travelling sustainably, enjoying the holidays, low-impact holidays.
Halloween: How to make sustainable zero-waste Halloween decorations and costumes, pumpkin recipes.
School dress-up day: How to rent, share, borrow and make your own school dress-up costumes.
School uniforms: Sustainable uniforms, keeping good clothes circulating, reducing uniform costs.
Winter coat swap: No child should be cold, and in autumn we want to organise a winter coat swap event.
Product reviews: A regular volunteer product review, helping us sort out the sustainable from the green-wash.
Book swaps: Events to swap children's books.
Reducing plastic waste: Whether it be toys, products or packaging, we have lots of ideas to share.
Food: How to access sustainable food, reduce food waste and create healthy lunches.
Holiday Season: How to enjoy the holidays sustainably, reduce waste and take part in the circular economy.
Gardening: Encouraging children to get involved in gardening and increasing biodiversity.
Outdoor play: Great places to visit, things to do, and games to play.
Energy: Resources to help parents move from fossil fuel to green energy and reduce energy consumption.
Climate change: How to talk to your children about climate change at various ages.
Environmental awareness: Projects to join, books to read, films to watch, articles to read, litter picks to join.
Cleaning sustainably: How to clean in an environmentally-friendly way; less plastic, less water and air pollution, fewer allergies.
Air pollution: Actions parents can take to reduce children's exposure to air pollution.
Active travel: Promoting active travel around the borough, less polluted routes, and walking busses.
It is free to join Merton Green Parents and anyone is welcome.
If you have any questions about the group, please get in touch at mertongreenparents@sustainablemerton.org.
BLOG POSTS
Merton Green Parents on... how to talk to your children about climate change
Merton Green Parents on... how to celebrate a low-waste holiday season
Merton Green Parents on... switching to reusable nappies
LEARN MORE
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REUSABLE NAPPIES
Have you been thinking about switching to reusable nappies? Do you want to know more about the options available and why ditching disposables is good for the planet, and your baby's future? Watch our Web Chat with Sustainable Merton Community Champion and reusable nappy campaigner, Yasmin Redfern as she covers everything reusable nappy related! Contact Yasmin at yasmin@carboncopy.eco
YOUR LOCAL NAPPY LIBRARY
Wimbledon NCT's cloth nappy library provides impartial advice and support to families considering trying cloth nappies. They have kits to suit newborn babies through to potty training. Kits include nappies, fleece and paper liners, large and small wet bags. A full demo offered, plus written instructions. Contact Sarah at nappylibrary.wimbledon@nct.org.uk
QOOKEEE
Qookeee (pronounced ‘cookie’) is an eco-friendly baby and toddler clothing rental store for ages 0-24 months, renting out sustainable brands such as Mori, Toby Tiger, Muddy Puddles and Kite Clothing. Qookeee is set up like an online shop but instead of buying your items when you check out you rent them instead. An easy way to waste less.
Know of any other sustainable businesses in Merton helping to make parenting journeys greener? Let us know!