Pop star Nelly Furtado grew up on Vancouver Island surrounded by nature and the ocean, so environmental conservation has always been her passion. She recently lent her support to the launch of Purclean laundry detergent and the World Wildlife Foundation social media campaign #countfornature to share eco tips. She lives in Toronto and has a 13 year old daughter.
“I actually do laundry and clean as a way to spread good energy in my house. It’s like a meditation for me. I write songs while I do it, too.
I drive a hybrid car that helps me save a lot of gas. I recycle and donate a lot to Habitat for Humanity. I even make my own cleaning products. When I was a housekeeper at the Robin Hood Motel, I spent a lot of time cleaning. People tend to use their favourite brands, so that’s why I was really happy to see that Tide now has an eco-friendly laundry detergent that is 65 percent bio-based.
I probably went to the gym more before when I wasn’t cleaning my house, because cleaning takes energy, but it can be a great workout! The monastic element of cleaning your house is true. There’s a feeling of satisfaction that can come from that, and mindfulness, too. Because, you’re like, I don’t know if I want my space to be like this, how am I budgeting my time so that it can be different?
We often as parents get caught up in helping our children have every possible opportunity. But if we just give them a moment to exhale, they can work on other strengths, like developing their friendships. In their boredom they might start playing around in the kitchen, learn how to make a smoothie. My daughter has definitely had times in her life when she’s been over-scheduled, but when we start to experiment with fewer commitments, other things open up. The world won’t end if our children don’t get every opportunity.”
Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, Spring 2017.
