We Add Up - World Breastfeeding Week

Facebook has all kinds of ads that plaster themselves on the sidebars of my profile page.  They usually relate to something I am interested in - yoga, camping, mom stuff.  Occasionally I get the odd "get your degree in accounting FAST" or "Congress on Facebook", but usually they are tailored remarkably well to my tastes and interests.

So of course I completely ignore them.  For the most part.  I have been known to glance at them, but only on two occasions have I ever actually clicked an ad.  One of those times was about 10 minutes ago.

I am a t-shirt junkie.  I teach YogaKids and so am always looking for appropriate, comfortable clothing in which to teach.  It is hard to find any exercise-type clothes that allow the range of movement I need while not giving the kids an anatomy lesson.  My go-to outfit is now a pair of loose-fitting yoga capris and a t-shirt layered over a long tank top.  This ensures that my copious bosom will not peek out of the top of the t-shirt I wear, and that my racing stripes (read:stretch marks) won't pop out of the bottom.  Thus the search for the perfect t-shirt.

Anyway, tonight I saw a red t-shirt reading BREASTFEED above the words "Next week is World Breastfeeding Week - be counted!".  First off, I had NO IDEA there even WAS a World Breastfeeding Week .  Go breastfeeding!  I will be proudly popping the boob in Lucy's mouth all week in celebration.


So looking at this ad, I thought "Hey, I'm a breastfeeding mama!  I'll blindly succomb to this tailored advertising!"  So I clicked.


It was an ad for the We Add Up campaign to fight climate change.  

Secondly, I had never heard of the We Add Up campaign. You choose a cause that is meaningful to you (Buy Local, Recycle, Compost, Plant Trees, Organic, etc). The shirt has a simple representative logo on the back along with the words to describe it, like BREASTFEED. Below that are the words "No one can do everything. Everyone can do something". I LOVE that sentiment, by the way. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the do's and don'ts of saving the world, but everyone can do something, however small. The front of the shirt has the words "We Add Up" and a number on it. Your number is unique (so they say, I'll never REALLY know I guess)

Here is what the site says about it:

We Add Up counts you in for your commitment to help solve the climate crisis. Each tee is custom hand printed with a unique number. YOUR number is your position in our global count of people adding up to make change.

Tees are 100% certified organic cotton and sweatshop-free.

Money from the sale is donated to that specific cause.  You can choose to have carbon neutral shipping They'll use sustainable gift wrap (a cotton, logo-printed bag) if it is going to someone else.  Pretty cool.

ANYWAY, I never thought of the environmental impact of breastfeeding.  I totally support breastfeeding as the best for babies.  I totally support breastfeeding as best for mamas.  I totally support breastfeeding as way the f*ck cheaper than formula feeding.  It never once crossed my mind that breastfeeding was also the most environmentally sound way to nourish your baby.  Again, from the site:

If you're trying to decide between the breast or the bottle, also consider the environment. Lots of waste is created from the production of bottles and cans for formula, during the production of the formula itself, plus the carbon cost of transportation to get the formula from the factory to you. Whether this is a new commitment for you or something you've been passionate about for a while, by wearing this tee you are committing to help build our sustainable future.

How is it possible I never thought of this? Am I really that thick? I use cloth diapers for Lucy. I am a vegetarian for environmental reasons. We recycle every possible thing. We don't even use paper towels in our house for crying out loud! If ever there was a time that the word "Duh" was appropriate, this would be it.

So next week is WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK! Breastfeeding mamas unite! And We Add Up is really cool. Plus they have a t-shirt for stopping climate change by showering together. Another thing I never thought of...for saving the world, I mean.