I’ve always considered myself to be eco-conscious. But, since becoming a mom it’s been challenging to find eco-friendly practices that are also family-friendly. Some parts of the perfect sustainable lifestyle just aren’t realistic for families. Plus, lets be honest, the stresses of every day family life can easily get in the way of making better choices for our planet. I know this first hand!
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I am nowhere near 100% “green”, but I make an effort every single day to be better. Through my years of experience and a stupid amount of research, I’ve found some eco-friendly practices that are doable, even with babies and kids. The best part about incorporating these into your lives is that you’re also teaching the next generation. Our children will inherit this planet along with all its problems. What better way to teach our children the importance of being environmentally conscious than leading by example.
With the state of our planet it can be overwhelming thinking about what difference you can make. But just a few small changes can have a big impact. Focus on what you can do instead of worrying about all the things you can’t do.
Since we are in “Earth Month” I thought it was a good time to share all the eco-friendly practices that I have found useful and, more importantly, doable for family life. Everything in this post I have put in use into our daily life.
The first step to creating an eco-conscious family is Get Outside!
This might be my favorite eco-friendly and family-friendly practices on this list. Spend time in nature as a family. Show your kids what we working to save. Let them see all the beauty our planet has to offer. Once they have that love and respect for nature the rest will be easy. Take hikes, clean-up trails, get involved in community clean ups, plant trees or a garden as a family.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce – Here are a few suggestions to “reduce” around your home
Reusable Straws
My kids love to use straws! So much so that I quickly realized I needed to find a a good alternative to the single use ones. I’ve tried a few and these seems to be the favorite around here, Ello 4pk Compact Fold and Store Silicone Straw Set. They come with a little brush for cleaning out.
Skip the paper plates
Paper plates can be seem like the easier option with a few kids at home. Less dishes sounds really appealing after a long day of parenting. In an effort to reduce our waste I found these plates from Target. They are sturdy, the perfect size and sections for kids, microwave and DISHWASHER safe. Top or bottom rack, those “top rack only” bother me.
Waste less food
I am a mom of 4, I know all to well the disturbing amount of food kids waste. My advice, be realistic when making their plates. Honestly, it’ll make mealtime a little easier too.
Another good thing to do is get up to date on food storage practices.
Reusable snack/sandwich bags
I’ll be honest, reusable baggies can take a little getting used to but it’s a great way to reduce waste. Plus, the kids love them, and they turned out to be fairly easy to clean out. Find the ones we like best below.
Conserve/reduce energy at home
Teach your kids all things they can do to conserve energy at home. Turn off lights, unplug devices and appliances when you can, replacing light bulbs. Of course there are also big things you can do around your home to conserve energy. You can have solar panels installed. Or you could also update your windows. Another good idea would be to check with your electrical company to see if they offer a free home energy check up, most do.
Reduce water use at home
Make sure everyone in your family knows to turn off water while brushing their teeth. You may want to consider updating your toilets to a low flow one.
Suggestions to “reduce” when shopping
Do bulk shopping when you can. This cuts down on packaging and single use plastic and also cuts down on your trips to the grocery store.
Use reusable shopping bags always. Keep a bunch in your car so you always have them.
Shop local when you can. By buying locally, you can help to cut carbon emissions and air pollution – whether that’s by reduced food miles or transportation of any other item. It’s better for the planet and helps support the local economy, too.
Reuse – Here are few eco-friendly and family-friendly tips to reuse items instead of tossing them
I save all the yogurt cups, fruit cups, italian ice cups, any little plastic container like that. I wash them out and use them for so many different things. They are great for little snacks, or dip cups (think ketchup, honey mustard) or water cups for painting or other crafts. They come in handy for all kinds of things.
Donate old clothes. Better yet, find some other families you can exchange with. Getting hand-me-downs is great, saving money and reducing waste!
Keep a scrap paper bin. My little crafters go thru so much paper. Get a bin or folder to save all those scraps for the next art project or whatever they come up with, lol.
Recycle
Look into what your town recycles. Make sure your recycling cans are properly marked. Spend some time with your kids going over what gets recycled and where it goes.
Be sure to recycle all your electronics properly. As well as toys. Companies like Lego allow you to send back unwanted legos to recycle, reuse or donate. Check out their Lego Replay Program here.
Swap out cleaners
Toss all your old toxic cleaners! A super easy way to do get all eco-friendly cleaners is using Grove Collaborative. They craft and curate earth-changing products for your home. So you can shop sustainably, easily with delivery right to your home. Check it out here.
I recently switched our Laundry detergent to Earth Breeze. It’s very affordable and extremely eco-friendly. And I have to admit, I’m impressed with it’s cleaning power!
Buy Toys that are eco-friendly
A great eco-friendly and family-friendly tip is buying toys that are environmentally friendly. There are many options out there these days too. One of our favorites is Green Toys. We’ve been using the orange wagons shown below for over 4 years now!
Consider getting rechargable batteries too.
Become an Arbor Day Foundation Member
Leave a legacy and a positive impact on the planet! With your $25 memebership fee you’ll receive 10 tree and 2 flowering shrubs for FREE. They’ll send you trees for your area and they come ready to be planted. It’s a great way to get your kids involved. Let them play in the dirt!
Make your home a Certified Wildlife Habitat
This is one of my favorite things we’ve ever done. It so easy and it doesn’t matter how big your property is. Even apartment balconies can become certified. Check out the website to find out more info.
I hope you find some of these eco-friendly and family-friendly tips useful. Even if you just start with one or two, you’ll be making a big difference.
