*We’ve partnered with Joolz to recognize the moms that are changing the world for their babies, and ours.
No doubt about it, parenthood makes you think first and foremost with your heart. From the moment your baby is born, it feels as if you’re suddenly walking around wearing your heart on your sleeve. Which in turn makes you hyper-aware of all that is around us and sensitive to issues you never quite paid attention to before (but should have).
As parents, it’s our job to make the world a better place for the little ones we’ve brought into it. And the current state of affairs has made many of us even more proactive than ever before. Still, we know balancing life with kids can be all-consuming. So when we learn about moms dedicating their days to creating a better world for not only their kids, but all of ours, we take notice. And we’ve partnered with Joolz, an eco-minded company focused on positive design, to help you take notice.
From eco-activists, to sustainable designers, to green beauty experts and more, here are 25 eco-moms to watch. Be prepared to be inspired -- and thankful -- for all that they do.
1. Lauren Bush Lauren, founder of FEED Projects. Lauren Bush Lauren has been helping children and families since long before she had one of her own. She founded FEED in 2007 as a way to help people fight against hunger in a tangible way, through the purchase of products that bring meals and nutrients to those in need. FEED has since expanded well beyond its signature burlap bags, with a plethora of well-intentioned collaborations and styles, all produced under fair-labor conditions, using environmentally friendly materials whenever possible. And now that Lauren’s the mom of a baby boy, we’re betting FEED’s diaper bags are coming in pretty handy….
2. Bea Johnson, founder of Zero Waste Home. When Bea Johnson began her family 8 years ago she also set out on a path for the good of the world by dedicating herself and her family to a zero waste lifestyle. That means committing herself to the 5 R’s: Reduce what you do need, Reuse what you consume, Recycle what you cannot Refuse, Reduce or Reuse, and Rot (Compost) the rest. Her family of four manages to generate only a quart-size jar of waste per year! Bea now goes around the world giving talks about helping others help themselves and the world.
3. Nasiba Adilova, founder of The Tot. Nasiba Adilova is much more than a pretty face. After she became a mommy, this jet-setting Russian fashionista founded of The Tot, an online shop filled with smartly curated gear and fashion for baby and mom. The site is committed to eco-friendly merchandise, but also features cool collabs and mama advice and recommendations. After testing a pop-up shop in Dallas, The Tot has settled into a permanent location, which will be convenient for Nasiba when she welcomes Baby #2 to her brood this spring.
4. Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician and children's health advocate. As a pediatrician Mona Hanna-Attisha already dedicates her life to helping children. But it wasn’t until 2014 that she became recognized on a national level. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha was the doctor that brought the Flint Water Crisis to it’s feet. After much denial from the state, Dr. Hanna-Attisha would not ignore her patients complaining of strange systems and elevated lead levels. The graduate of Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Hanna-Attisha conducted her own study that found the percentage of elevated blood lead levels among children in the city had doubled and announced the results at a press conference.
Grace with her Joolz stroller
6. Mara Hoffman, fashion designer. When it comes to women’s fashion, the terms sustainable and stylish don’t often go hand in hand. But everyone’s favorite mama designer Mara Hoffman is changing perceptions. She’s said that it was the birth of her son that pushed her to go greener, and has since been evolving her fashion line to include more recycled and eco-friendly fabrics and prints. Her latest collections also includes beautiful basics that will stand the test of time, a pushback, she says, against fast fashion and overconsumption.
Nicole with her Joolz stroller
8. Tata Harper, founder of Tata Harper. The words “natural” and “beauty” aren’t necessarily two that go hand in hand. Unless you’re talking about Tata Harper’s Next Generation Beauty Line. Tata set out on a mission to give the skincare industry a fresh start with highly effective and luxurious beauty products that are completely free of synthetic ingredients. As a bonus all of Tata’s packaging is made without labels so it’s one less waste to our environment.
Hana with her Joolz stroller
10. Krysta Lyn, founder of Yipkids. Finding clothes that your opinionated toddler loves to wear is tough. Finding clothes that they love and you feel good supporting? Even tougher! That’s why Krysta Lyn created Yipkids with both her kids and the world they live in mind. Her line is constructed from environmentally responsible materials, and design and manufactured right in her hometown of Long Beach, California.
Kelsey with her Joolz stroller
12. Tara Foley, founder of Follain. With all the nasties in much of our skincare and makeup, Tara Foley had a dream to create a healthy alternative. Her first beauty shop opened in Boston in 2013, and she has since expanded to up and down the Northeast Corridor, providing a curated selection of skin, hair and cosmetic products that are safe (non-toxic), eco-friendly, high-performance, luxe, and U.S.-made. This past year’s been a busy one: Tara launched house label, set up shop in NYC and had a baby, giving her a new appreciation for pregnancy and postpartum care.
13. Melissa Wood, health and wellness coach. When it comes to being green, Melissa Wood starts from the inside out. This NYC-based health and wellness coach, yoga teacher and model brings a touch of glam to the healthy, plant-based lifestyle, whether she’s leading your fave workout on Fitner App, or gracing the pages of Shape, Women’s Health and Pregnancy & Newborn magazines. And with a toddler at home, we know that’s no small task!
14. Vani Hari, Food Babe. After a health scare that hospitalized Vani Hari 10 years ago, this new mama, was inspired to live a healthy life, harnessing her energy into investigating what is really in our food. She’s spent thousands of hours over the years researching and talking to experts to make sense of this over-processed world we live in. Vani empowers her readers by giving them the knowledge and truth about harmful ingredients in processed foods and how to avoid the stuff the food industry is trying to hide. Something we could all use and pass down to our kids!
15. Paige Wolf, founder of a B Corp-certified PR firm. It takes a lot of willpower to turn down work with brands that don’t meet your eco-standards, especially as a small business owner. But PR maven Paige Wolf only works with clients who contribute to a sustainable world and positive change. The Philadelphia mom has built her portfolio out of green lifestyle and nonprofit brands, and is the first certified B Corporation public relations company in her city, meeting comprehensive and transparent social and environmental standards.
16. Shazi Visram, founder of Happy Family Brands. As the founder of Happy Family Brands, mom-of-two Shazi Visram is helping us make our families greener and healthier at the most important time in their life: before their 2nd birthdays. Shazi founded her baby food company 10 years ago (before she was even a mom!) and it has since extended into toddler and prenatal, and launched tons of innovative mealtime solutions. Happy Family Brands is also certified as a B-Corporation, which means it meets rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
17. Phyllis Omido, founder the Center for Justice, Governance, and Environmental Action.
We typically think of breast milk as nutritional gold, but when mamas are exposed to toxins, it can be anything but healthy. After Kenyan mom Phyllis Omido realized her baby boy had lead poisoning due to her own dangerous chemical exposure at a local plant, she worked to get the plant shut down, and help get support and medical aid for others in the poor community in which she lived. She ultimately founded the Center for Justice, Governance, and Environmental Action and was awarded the Golman Environmental Prize Recipient for her work.
18. Jessika Bailey, founder of Natural Mother Magazine. When Jessika Bailey became a mother, she “fell” into natural parenting quite, well, naturally: she followed her instincts. And in a world of endless information where making decisions for your family can be quite overwhelming, she felt the need to help others be confident in their parenting styles. So she created Natural Mother Magazine and gifted moms and dads with a community where they could share and read stories about gentle parenting and holistic living -- and all of it without judgement.
19. Christine Lolley, founder of design firm Solares. Christine Lolley has long been interested in green home design and sustainable living and, together with Tom Knezic, created Solares. With energy efficiency and affordability in mind, the Solares team provides architectural expertise to design eco-friendly homes and, hopefully, build a more sustainable future. A mother of two, Lolley even built her parents’ house, which blends perfectly with its surrounding environment and features temperature regulation techniques that greatly reduce heating needs in the winter and eliminate the need for air conditioning in the summer.
20. Judi Shils, founder of Turning Green. Judi Shils isn’t new to activism. She created a campaign that opposed hazardous chemicals in beauty and personal care products and founded Search for the Cause, which probed into the skyrocketing cancer rates in Marin County. With Turning Green, Shils (along with her daughter) broadened her mission to equip high school and college students with the tools to shift mindsets towards sustainable living. Her goal: to empower future leaders to take the helm in the fight for environmental justice.
21. Salma Hayek, actress and activist. Sure, Salma Hayek is a beautiful, talented actress. But she also does her part to live “green” -- even more so now that she’s a mom. Hayek hasn’t just given her presence and money to environmental causes and charities. She’s also served as a board member to Global Green, an organization that builds sustainable and resilient communities and that provides affordable housing to areas in need. And since you can never do enough to nurture Mother Nature, Hayek reportedly installed solar panels on her Los Angeles home.
22. Colleen Wachob, co-founder of mindbodygreen. As Founding Partner and Chief Brand Officer at lifestyle media brand mindbodygreen, Colleen Wachob totally walks the walk. Which is important when you’re leading a company that inspires people to live their best life. But that doesn’t mean it’s her way or the highway. Her and her team work hard to provide their readers with the best info possible about mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and of course environmental topics for those on their wellness journeys.
23. Rosario Dawson, actress and activist. Rosario Dawson is no stranger to advocating for social changes. She’s engaged with various organizations to both protect the planet and help those in need. Her latest project? Studio 189 -- an online platform dedicated to promote and curate African and African-inspired content and brands. Using the world of fashion for social change, Dawson hopes to help African communities in need by empowering women, creating jobs and supporting education. In 2012, Dawson also partnered with SodaStream International to launch the first annual Unbottle the World Day, in an effort to raise awareness to the impact of cans and plastic bottles on the environment.
24. Melinda Olson, founder of Earth Mama Angel Baby. Founder of baby and mama skincare brand, Earth Mama Angel Baby, Melinda Olson began formulating organic herbal remedies for friends in her Oregon kitchen many years ago. From there her love of organic gardening, passion for herbs and desire to find safe products for mamas and babies led to founding Earth Mama Angel Baby, an industry leader in safe, natural and organic herbal products. So you can feel good about what you’re putting on baby’s skin.
25. Kelly Nichols, activist, educator, and organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. Kelly Nichols grew up roaming the woods of mid-coast Maine and Northern Minnesota, instilling a long-lasting love of nature. With Moms Clean Air Force, she works tirelessly to make the air of her home state, Illinois, cleaner. Moms Clean Air Force is a community of 1,000,000 moms and dads united to fight against air pollution, in the name of our children’s health and future.
Did we miss an eco-mom that inspires you? Tell us all about her in comments!
*This post was sponsored by Joolz. Want to see why every eco-mom is loving their strollers? Check them out here.
