Going green and being eco-friendly isn’t something so difficult to achieve. There are daily habits that we can easily practise ourselves to encourage our children to adopt it. Even the busiest of families can make little changes which can create big impact on the environment. The best thing is your children will learn valuable lesson about saving our planet.
Here are a few tips on how you can teach your child eco-friendly habits.
Reuse
Try to cut down on disposable items and invest in those that are made to last. When children learn how to take care of their stuff from young, rather than just chucking them in the bin, they learn to become responsible as well as eco-friendly.
Invest in re-usable coffee cup and water bottle for your child
Did you know that most disposable cups have a plastic lining that can take centuries to biodegrade? When you head out for your favourite cuppa and a babycino, don’t forget your reusable cup. Kids will love choosing their colour (same with the water bottle) if you buy new, but it can be as simple as a mug, or even a jar. Many cafes offer a reduction when you BYO cup. Find one near you on the Responsible Cafes website .
Ditch plastic in lunchboxes
Where possible, try to use biodegradable beeswax wraps (that you can bury in the garden when you’re done with them) and reusable containers instead of cling wrap. Also reduce those juice boxes and individually wrapped snacks. This is where bulk buying can help your pocket and the environment.
Save all containers
Empty jars, egg containers and plastic takeaway containers are perfect for art, craft and party decorations. When it comes to craft, kids don’t need anything fancy. They’ll get creative with some coloured textas and paint, and in fact it allows their imagination to run wild.
Use reusable bags
Most plastic bags are non-biodegradable, which take decades to break down and are reaching our waterways, killing those adorable turtles. To save the turtles, simply prepare yourself with a few reusable bags in your handbag and car. You can even thrift a cool reusable bag out of an old t-shirt.
Switch to cloth nappies
Consider using reusable cloth nappies. You’re saving disposables from landfill, and as long as you make sure you’re adding other washing into the load, you won’t necessarily be running more machine loads. Plus, you’ll have them all ready to go for bub number two, or friends with newborns.
Purchase wisely
Making careful choices about what you buy makes a big difference in the long run. Particularly when it comes to the materials they’re made out of, and how eco-friendly their production was.
Limit plastic toys purchase
Explain to your kids why it’s not a good idea to get any more collectible Shopkins. Not only is the toy itself damaging to the environment when disposed of, the amount of plastic it is packaged in is way over the top! It’s also nice to choose kids’ gifts that have a purpose – check out this list curated by Kinderling Conversation’s Shevonne Hunt.
Buy foods that are in season
By shopping seasonally, you’re normally shopping locally, which reduces food miles, reduces the amount of spoilage and means fresher food too!
Meat-free Monday
Consider incorporating a few meat-free meals into your weekly meal plan – whether it’s Meat-free Monday, or more frequently.
Get clothes second hand
Hand-me-downs, thrift stores and clothes swaps are all great ways to reduce the amount of clothing that goes into landfill. Involved kids in these purchases too, and you’ll be sure they wear them!
Dispose carefully
While it’s great to make careful purchases and reuse what you already have, it can be easy to just chuck it in the bin and think that’s the end of it. Not everything that is waste should go to landfill. It’s just a matter of checking labels before you toss.
Return medicines to the pharmacy
Disposing your unwanted medicines in the household garbage or down the drain or toilet can be extremely damaging to the environment, as there are potential risks from medications that end up in surface and drinking water. Instead of tipping it in the sink, some/most chemists have a medication return scheme where unwanted medicines can be given back free of charge for proper disposal.
Walk instead of drive
When running local errands, see if you can walk or ride your bikes instead of piling into the car. Often this can be easier with older kids, but even if you trade out one car trip every now and then with your little ones, not only are you making an environmental difference, but you’re teaching your kids healthy exercise habits too. Or use public transport – kids love trains and buses!
Get a compost bin
Sounds messy and space-filling. But it does not have to be! There are small bokashi composting bins or tiny worm farms that can fit on a shelf in your kitchen that don’t smell. Or, you can take food waste to your local community garden for their compost bins. It’s also a great way to show your child how food is grown. You could even start your own veggie patch. If that sounds like too much effort – plant some hardy herbs in little pots that kids can help with. Mint is a great one, and kids start to learn where their food comes from.
Pick up rubbish
As a family when you’re out and about – at the beach, park or walking down your street – teach kids why we don’t drop rubbish on the ground and take home what you find to dispose of properly.
Fix it
Part of the reason we’re in this environmental wasteland in the first place is that everything is so disposable, and a replacement is just a quick tap of your card. To stop this cycle, try to fix something before throwing it out including clothes, toys, kitchen appliances, etc.
With only some simple changes in your daily habit, you and your family are making a big change to our environment. More importantly, by adopting this green approach, you also encourage our children to grow accustomed to a greener lifestyle and become a good steward of mother earth.
