Our own Funny Mummy Kathy Buckworth is a busy mom to four children. She knows a little thing or two about making a household work and even saving the environment. That's right! Kathy has partnered with P&G's Future Friendly line of products to promote the small ways Canadian moms can help save the environment.

And apparently we Canadian moms are already on board with that - a recent survey conducted by National Marketing Insitute on behalf of P&G's Future Friendly program found that 69% of Canadian moms care about protecting the environment - more than US moms (45%) and UK moms (48%). But product performance is important to us too - according to a second survey, this one done by TNS also for P&G, most Canadian moms (80%) want to do their part for the environment without sacrificing product performance. Enter the Future Friendly program - a line of products from trusted brands like Tide, Pampers and Duracell that help consumers save water, waste and energy at home. We turned to Kathy to get the scoop this Earth Day.

1. Why do you think more Canadian (than US or UK) moms care about protecting the environment?

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by those findings. I think it is fundamentally because Canadian moms beleive they can make a diference with their actions. When you think you are making a difference it makes a huge impact on how we behave. We are also conscious of educating our children about how to protect the environment and they get a lot of that education in the schools. We are conscious of the products we choose.  There are a lot of products that are more friendly and are just as good as the regular brands. 

2. Tell us about the Future Friendly program. How does it help moms and why is it awesome.

The Future Friendly program is a global initiative from P&G. It is basically designed to educate moms on how to save energy, save water and reduce waste. It is built on the belief that making small steps: like less packaging or a concentrated tide formula in cold water, will make a big difference. One of the biggest changes we can make is washing our clothes in cold water. There are also other products like rechargeable batteries. And the new Pampers are great - they are skinny, tiny really! Moms using Pampers today have contributed 15 million fewer pounds of waste than in 2007. They are just a lot skinnier but more absorbent. Less bulk leads to less packaging. A lot of products are phosphate free like the Cascade Action packs. They are also more concentrated and use less water because you don't have to pre-rinse. Little steps add up to helping us be friendly to the environment.

We are busy moms and we have lives to live so we want easy to use convenient products. 80% of Canadian moms believe that what is best for their family is the most important thing.

3. What are your tips for living a more eco-conscious life as a busy mom.

I do try to use these products and I try to make sure that the kids are aware of what they are doing. A lot of this happens in their classrooms too. But I teach them about turning off lights and computers and I make sure the kids are aware that they need to turn off their gadgets at night. It's the small things. 

4. Why are you passionate about/concerned with doing your part for the environment?

With four kids i see the impact that being more friendly has. Its in our garbage each week - one garbage bag and 4 or 5 recycling bins. Because i have such a large family I see the impact. And when I see results like the survey - it is nice to know we are already doing everything.

For more info on the Future Friendly program, and to read great tips
for doing your part, visit http://www.futurefriendlybrands.ca/

Kathy Buckworth’s latest book, “Shut Up and Eat: Tales of Chicken, Children and Chardonnay” is available everywhere.  For more info on Kathy visit www.kathybuckworth.com and follow Kathy on twitter at www.twitter.com/kathybuckworth