MNN - Mother Nature Network

Former beauty writer Beth Shea used to write about shampoo and skin care.  But when she got pregnant with her now 19-month-old daughter, Olivia, she started taking a closer look at the ingredients in the beauty products she was writing about and she grew increasingly concerned by the number of toxins in her environment.  As a freelance writer who works from home while caring for her daughter, Beth decided to merge her talents in a way that would help other parents find healthy alternatives for their children. Beth is the blogger behind  Petite Planet and the managing editor and contributing writer for Inhabitots. Here's how green mom Beth Shea makes her family's world a more beautiful place:

JS: What inspired you to go green?

BS: I was inspired to go "green" during my pregnancy. I was educating myself on all the purest, healthiest choices I could make via diet, skin care use, etc. I realized through my research, (I was also a beauty writer at the time) how many toxins are in basically everything we come in contact with on a daily basis ... from nail polish and shampoo to crackers to cleaning products — you name it! I decided I would make Olivia's life as pure and chemical free as possible to protect both her and our home environment and the world at large. Once I gained the knowledge of living a "green" lifestyle, I started to write Petite Planet to educate other parents and people as well. I wanted to spread the word so as many children and families as possible could do everything in their power to clean up the environment, starting with their children and home. My tag line on Petite Planet is: Baby Steps Toward Changing the World, because I truly believe that all the little things we do add up to make a huge difference in improving health on an individual and global level, and that we're all capable of taking baby steps to go green!

JS: How do you and your family go green?

BS: We go green as a family by buying all organic food, and as much locally grown food as possible. We love shopping at farmer's markets, we walk instead of drive whenever we can, we recycle everything we possibly can, we use reusable totes, we make certain that all of our personal care products and cleaning products are free and clear of any toxins that could pollute our bodies or our planet. We limit our consumerism. We borrow books from the library instead of buying them, and on a daily basis, I have the privilege of educating people through my work on how to go green!

JS: What eco-innovation or invention would make your life easier?

BS: The eco innovation that would make my life easier would be a money tree! Ha! But seriously, I'd say an invention such as disappearing paper towels would be great — if they could just turn into thin, pure air once they've been used so they do no damage, I'd be elated! I have still yet to phase them completely out of our home, which causes me great green guilt!