How To Green Your Kid

If you happen to live in the New York area and are free Monday March 24th from 7 to 9 p.m., come see me at a panel discussion – How To Green Your Kid. It 's taking place in Dumbo, Brooklyn at The powerHouse Arena (all details below) and it's free.

The discussion is happening thanks to SEED, the Dumbo Improvement District's foundation of five initiatives that encourage public recycling, alternative modes of transportation, consumption reduction, greater energy efficiency and environmental education. This clearly falls under environmental education. It will be moderated by Josh Dorfman, the founder/CEO of Vivavi (furniture company) and author/host of the "Lazy Environmentalist" (it's both a book and a daily radio show on Sirius). Deirdre and I went on his radio show to promote The Complete Organic Pregnancy when it first came out. His take on the upcoming event is here.

The two other panelists are Marisa Belger and Lynda Fassa. Marisa has covered health and wellness for over 10 years. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure Family, Natural Health, Prevention, MSNBC.com, Beliefnet.com, and TODAYShow.com (where she writes a weekly column about natural beauty and eco-style). She was also a founding editor of Lime.com, a multi-platform media company specializing in health, wellness, and sustainable living. Lynda is the author of Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby, and owner of the organic clothing line Greenbabies. If you shop at Whole Foods, you're no doubt familiar with the line. I just came home from an afternoon with one of my closest friend's newborn son. He was wearing a to-die-for Greenbabies "chili pepper baby bag" that I remember his older brother (my daughter's best friend) wearing, too. I'm really looking forward to meeting Marisa and Lynda.

We'll all be discussing the work we're currently doing, and how we came to be doing it. I imagine we'll touch on advice for avoiding greenwashing, practical solutions for any family, how to advocate for change for the environments your children are in when they're not in the home, and our thoughts on the future of green parenting. I'm hoping there will be some time for audience Q&A. The general idea is to send parents away empowered – armed with knowledge and doable solutions. There will also be books on hand for purchase and signing. Come pick up tips.

The details: 3/24, 7 to 9 p.m. at The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., at Water St. (718-666-3049 or dumbonyc.org); free.

For more information, view the invitation.