Growing a Greener Family |
Instilling a sense of environmental responsibility is good for your children - and their future. Your kids absorb all of the values that you live as a family. That means you'll exert an influence just by making environmental awareness a part of your outlook.
The idea beneath it all: Your entire household is a living, breathing organism with its own environmental "footprint." Try to walk gently by practicing the three Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle - as much as you can. Taking an "every bit helps" attitude also helps your kids feel empowered by teaching them the many ways that they can contribute to helping our planet.
Each in its place. Make sure everyone understands what can be recycled and where it goes. If you don't have curbside pick-up, organize regular trips to the recycling depot.
The big turn-off. To help remind everyone to turn off lights, computers, tvs, stereos and video game units when not in the room, set up a penalty jar. At the end of the year, buy a tree for the yard, bikes for the family, or make a donation to a green charity.
Get out. Enjoying outdoor activities in natural surroundings fosters respect for nature and an understanding of our place in it. Camping, nature walks, cross-country skiing and canoeing are just a few ways of getting closer to the natural world.
Own it. Make each child responsible for learning about and carrying out one green activity. For example, your 14-year-old son could be responsible for replacing batteries with rechargeable ones (except in smoke and CO2 alarms) and keeping them charged.
From hummus to humus. Maintaining a compost bin is a fun way for younger kids to see first-hand how our actions can affect the earth in a positive way.
Go sale-ing. Make it an annual tradition to hold a clutter-busting family lawn sale for unwanted toys, clothes, books and DVDs. Or schedule a twice-yearly trip to the thrift shop.
Lunch without litter. Pack lunch foods and drinks in reusable plastic containers with reusable cutlery and a washable cloth napkin, and get everyone a cloth lunch sac in a different colour for easier grab 'n' go mornings: it could save nearly 20 kilograms of garbage per person each year.
So blue. Place a blue bin next to every desk in your home. Assign a younger kid to empty the bins for pick up. For every four-foot stack you recycle, you save one tree.
Pass it on. Rent, borrow or share DVDs and videos, videogames, music and books more often, or buy used instead of new.
Clean green. Take work clothes and school uniforms to a green dry cleaner that doesn't use toxic solvents such as perchloroethylene and that will recycle used wire hangers and plastic clothing wrap.
New threads. Traditionally, textiles have had a big impact on the environment (1/3 pound of chemicals are needed to produce the cotton for one t-shirt). Recycle old clothes as thrift shop donations or the rag bin. Many teens are into vintage and repurposed designs. Look for new clothes in innovative "green" fabrics made from sustainable sources such as hemp, soy and bamboo.
Drug-free plants. To avoid using poisonous sprays on your lawn and garden, get young kids to dig up dandelions. Older kids can mix up homemade natural bug spray, and mulch garden beds with compost and leaves.
More greener living tips can be found online at www.homebasics.ca.
The idea beneath it all: Your entire household is a living, breathing organism with its own environmental "footprint." Try to walk gently by practicing the three Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle - as much as you can. Taking an "every bit helps" attitude also helps your kids feel empowered by teaching them the many ways that they can contribute to helping our planet.
Ideas for your green team
Each in its place. Make sure everyone understands what can be recycled and where it goes. If you don't have curbside pick-up, organize regular trips to the recycling depot.
The big turn-off. To help remind everyone to turn off lights, computers, tvs, stereos and video game units when not in the room, set up a penalty jar. At the end of the year, buy a tree for the yard, bikes for the family, or make a donation to a green charity.
Get out. Enjoying outdoor activities in natural surroundings fosters respect for nature and an understanding of our place in it. Camping, nature walks, cross-country skiing and canoeing are just a few ways of getting closer to the natural world.
Own it. Make each child responsible for learning about and carrying out one green activity. For example, your 14-year-old son could be responsible for replacing batteries with rechargeable ones (except in smoke and CO2 alarms) and keeping them charged.
From hummus to humus. Maintaining a compost bin is a fun way for younger kids to see first-hand how our actions can affect the earth in a positive way.
Go sale-ing. Make it an annual tradition to hold a clutter-busting family lawn sale for unwanted toys, clothes, books and DVDs. Or schedule a twice-yearly trip to the thrift shop.
Lunch without litter. Pack lunch foods and drinks in reusable plastic containers with reusable cutlery and a washable cloth napkin, and get everyone a cloth lunch sac in a different colour for easier grab 'n' go mornings: it could save nearly 20 kilograms of garbage per person each year.
So blue. Place a blue bin next to every desk in your home. Assign a younger kid to empty the bins for pick up. For every four-foot stack you recycle, you save one tree.
Pass it on. Rent, borrow or share DVDs and videos, videogames, music and books more often, or buy used instead of new.
Clean green. Take work clothes and school uniforms to a green dry cleaner that doesn't use toxic solvents such as perchloroethylene and that will recycle used wire hangers and plastic clothing wrap.
New threads. Traditionally, textiles have had a big impact on the environment (1/3 pound of chemicals are needed to produce the cotton for one t-shirt). Recycle old clothes as thrift shop donations or the rag bin. Many teens are into vintage and repurposed designs. Look for new clothes in innovative "green" fabrics made from sustainable sources such as hemp, soy and bamboo.
Drug-free plants. To avoid using poisonous sprays on your lawn and garden, get young kids to dig up dandelions. Older kids can mix up homemade natural bug spray, and mulch garden beds with compost and leaves.
More greener living tips can be found online at www.homebasics.ca.
