| Does your choice between organic diapers and their | | | | generally may dry your cloth diapers in sunlight and |
| old-fashioned alternatives really matter? | | | | fresh air? Can you recover some of the gray water |
| Hard-core environmentalists may respond to your | | | | from your laundry? Can you afford organic diapers? |
| inquiry, "How dare you even ask the question?" yet the | | | | Can you afford not to use organic diapers? |
| question warrants serious consideration. Your baby will | | | | Your choice of organic diapers makes a statement |
| use approximately 8000 diapers before he or she | | | | about your expectations for the planet your baby will |
| masters the subtle, intricate art of toilet or potty chair. | | | | inherit. She and her generation inevitably must continue |
| Environmental experts estimate 8000 old-fashioned | | | | whatever you begin, rescuing Mother Earth as they |
| disposable diapers add-up to more than two tons of | | | | come into awareness and come of age. Your choice |
| waste products, few of which recycle. Given the | | | | of organic diapers, therefore, indicates you willingly give |
| intensity of The Great Diaper Debate, your choice of | | | | your baby a head start, reducing your own carbon |
| diapers clearly makes a difference somehow and | | | | footprint, contributing to recovery of precious farmland, |
| somewhere. You will determine the principles by which | | | | and setting an example for proper stewardship of |
| you choose, figuring out how your choice matters as | | | | earth's dwindling resources. |
| you make up your mind. | | | | When you choose organic diapers, you reduce |
| Weighing the alternatives, ask difficult questions: Of | | | | demand for cotton grown the old-fashioned way. |
| what are the diapers made? Are these materials | | | | Choosing diapers made from organically grown cotton, |
| earth-friendly; can we recycle these products, and will | | | | you reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the soil |
| they biodegrade? "Plastic" alone does not disqualify a | | | | and groundwater, and you support productive and |
| diaper from the "organic" list, because some plastics | | | | prosperous family farming in the world's emerging |
| come from cellulose, a by-product of corn. But many | | | | nations. When you choose diapers made of organically |
| light-weight plastics contain BHT, potentially toxic even | | | | grown cotton and hemp, you are encouraging farmers |
| in small concentrations. Of what are your plastic | | | | to convert from cotton to hemp production, elevating |
| diapers made? Looking at cloth diapers, examine the | | | | hemp's status as a profitable cash crop. Although, at |
| fabrics. If you see an "organic blend," label, what fibers | | | | first, it may seem slightly paradoxical, your contribution |
| make-up the blend? If the blend includes cotton, how | | | | to hemp demand has ramifications for the world's |
| and where did that cotton grow? How much water will | | | | water supplies, labor markets, manufacturing |
| you use when you wash your cloth diapers? How | | | | processes, and the future of the entire garment |
| much energy will you use as you wash and dry your | | | | industry. |
| cloth diapers? Do you live in a place where you | | | | |