It’s not easy being green…but for the sake of our water, air and planet, it’s totally worth it! And kids, we’ve got news for you: you’re the next generation to take on the task of protecting our planet. Begin these eco-friendly habits now, involve your friends and family, and be a true green warrior for our earth!
Here are eight ways you and your family can work together to go green and protect the environment.
- Precycle. You can reduce waste by recognizing products that could be wasteful and then avoiding those items. Toys or everyday items with excessive packaging that we use without thinking are just some examples of items that can be pre-cycled (don’t get it in the first place!)
- Repurpose. Look at items that normally end up in the trash and nd new and fun ways to repurpose them. You can make crafts out of junk mail, catalogs and old newspapers. Juice boxes or plastic containers can be turned into boats or accessories for dolls and action figures. Use natural materials found in the yard or on a nature walk to make a fairy garden or imaginative world for small toys.
- Reuse. Toting lunch or snacks around can be more eco-friendly when you take a reusable containers along. Explore the many lunch bags, beverage cups, thermoses, Bento boxes, and other packaging available. Many are made from recycled materials as well.
- Walk. Encourage everyone in your family to get around without getting in the car. Walking, jogging, biking, or scootering around the neighborhood is more eco-friendly than driving. Many adventures can unfold when seeing the world from a pedestrian point of view, but things are easily missed when riding inside cars or trucks.
- Save water. Conserving water is important. Water is one resource that is crucial to human life. You can explore ways to cut down on water consumption or use water more efficiently. A 10-minute shower with a standard shower head can use upward of 80 gallons of water and generate up to four pounds of CO2 emissions. Simply reducing your shower time can save energy and water. There are other ways to conserve as well. Make it a family project to collect rain water to use for washing cars or watering plants.
- Rent instead of buy. From toys to video games to movies, people have more options than ever before. And nowadays it’s easy to get entertainment without making buying things that require the manufacturing of new items. Streaming rented content rather than buying packaged versions of movies, TV shows, games and more can reduce waste in many ways.
- Turn off/turn down. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room. The same goes for appliances, electronics, and much more when they’re not in use. Ask your adult about unplugging- certain electronics so they aren’t consuming electricity while in standby mode, which is called vampire power.
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Shop green. When you’re at the store with your adult, look for earth-friendly soaps, shampoos, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. Take your own reusable bags to the store instead of getting new plastic bags. Think about buying items that use less packaging, or more earth-friendly packaging.