Saturday, April 17, 2010

Can I love Disney and Be Green?




This has been quite the debate in my mind for quite some time.  I lean toward green (obviously), but I also love one of the most commercial organizations there is, Disney.  And I've always been like this.  Recently, the dichotomy of my two loves has been getting to me.


On our last couple trips to Disney we haven't bought all that much, and for the Jolly Green Mommy it's been organic t-shirts and reusable bags that fold that small and can be attached to the diaper bag.  




But still...  I had problems finding common ground between my two loves.  So how have I made these two parts of me mesh.


1. You recycle at Disney whether you realize it or not.


Disney hotels now supply you with bags to recycle your newspapers and plastic bottles, but that's not what I'm talking about.  How do I know that everyone at Disney recycles?  A cast member told me!  Last December when we went to see the hotels for the holidays JGD got us on the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise.  (This was awesome!)  When we got off the boat, I asked one of the cast members if there was a recycling bin so I could recycle my water bottle.  I was told that Disney sorts the trash to separate the recyclables from the garbage.  


Now, I know that Disney still produces a large amount of trash, but they do what they can to lessen it by sorting through the trash to reduce the waste.


2. Disney Friends for Change: Project Green


How can I not love anything that encourages kids to get involved and help.  And help go green.  This is great for kids who do not live in a house where being green is important.  These kids need exposure from the outside to show them the importance of taking care of the world they live in.  This is a great thing for Disney to do.  And I give kudos to the Disney stars who decided that this was important enough for them to get involved too!


3. Disney's Planet Challenge

This is a competition for 4-6th grade classrooms.  They are looking for projects that give students the push to change things in their area for the better in an effort to improve the environment in "their own backyard."


Again, I love the fact that this get students and children involved.  They are the future, and it is up to them to makes these positive changes so that they can have a happy and healthy world to live in.


4. Oceans


Not only is Disney putting this movie out there for everyone to see, but they are going to establish a new protected area for everyone who sees the movie between April 22-28th.  


I also know that when you take part in Disney DiveQuest or Seas Aqua Tour, Disney takes part of your payment and donates it to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.


This one I know because JGD had the opportunity to Dive in the Living Seas when he did DiveQuest.  Which could only be described as awesome!


5. Living with the Land


Now, as a child, I hated this ride.  I thought it was boring and would do anything I could to get out of riding it.  On our past couple trips, I have been looking forward to this ride to see what Disney is growing in their "living laboratories."  I love learning about the new techniques that are being used for agriculture around the world


6.  That's not all!


I know that this is only the starting point of what Disney does to help the environment.  To see more of what they do go to
I do want to mention that I realize that there is more that Disney can continue to change.  Their buses could run on electricity, natural gas, E85 or hybrid energy.  Hopefully, we'll see this change one day in the not too distant future.  Then again, there is more that I can in my home.  Including replacing our current cars with hybrids....  (one day!)


8 comments:

  1. I think just the fact that Disney uses buses is a good thing. Not only is it convenient for those of us flying into the airport, but one busload of people together is better than all of those people renting cars or taking taxis.

    We are planning a Disney trip in September. Do you have any helpful hints for doing it with a toddler? Emma was a year old the last time we went, and basically she was just along for the ride, but this time she'll be almost 4 and Madeline will be 1 1/2.

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  2. True! The use of buses does help to curtail the amount of emissions we would have if everyone was using their own cars. (Though there are many people who do choose to do that).

    In terms of pointers of going with toddlers, the biggest is to try to take it easy as much as possible. We try to get back to the room for a nap sometime during the afternoon, and we go buy Sprout. If she seems like she's not going to make it to something we don't do it. (We cancelled a reservation on our last trip). Also, you know your kids best and what works best for them. Go by that and don't let anyone tell you anything different.

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  3. And if you let me know when you're going, we might be able to meet up if you're interested.

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  4. We had the same question. Read our 2 articles on Disney and being green on pages 11-17 of our free, green magazine Community Seeds Eco Magazine (www.communityseeds.org). http://www.flashedition.com/publication/?i=32878&pre=1

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  5. That's great they recycle! I went by the Disney store and noticed they're selling reusable bags also. My problem seems to be trying to remember to take any bags with me when I head out the door.

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  6. Hi, visiting you and appreciate you visiting my blog as well! I'm glad to hear about Disney going green! I'm often amazed how natural it is to us that we automatically think about the recyclability of all the products we use now.

    A question for you: how did you monetize so tastefully? I love the Amazon, Lego, Melissa & Doug and iTunes links! And there's actually likelihood of clicks with such great merchants! Thanks for any tips!

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  7. Try getting one of these. http://conservingnow.com/ It's free!

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  8. Amazon is probably the easiest one to get started with. But honestly, if there is something I'm interested in, I just do a search on google. And I love Melissa and Doug and knew they had an affiliate program.

    Try linkshare.com. I know it is the one that has iTunes. I think it's where I found lego too!

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