8 New Ideas for Helping Your Family Go Green

Teaching children to care for the environment is one of the most important things a parent can do. By showing them different ways to go green at home, you'll teach your child how simple it can be to take care of the planet and the beauty within. With this knowledge, your child will enjoy a lifetime of environmental awareness that will make it a better place for his or her future. Here are eight simple ideas for helping your family go green at home.

Eliminate curbside waste - The best way to teach your child to live a green lifestyle is to show them what waste is. Set up one large container next to the trash can and for just one day, put everything that can be recycled into it. The container will quickly fill, and your child can see firsthand how much waste can be avoided. If it helps, cut out magazine pictures of things that shouldn't be thrown away and tape them to the outside of the container. This would make a fun and educational project for the family! Cut out pictures of plastic, glass, paper, aluminum, and so on, and explain to your child how difficult it is for these materials to break-down on their own.

Shop smart - When stocking up supplies for the family, have your child assist you with choosing smart options for living a green lifestyle. From purchasing recycled paper towels, toilet paper, and other paper products, to choosing environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and soaps, your child can help locate eco-labels and learn how to identify which products are better for the environment.

Plant a tree - Planting a tree is a great way to go green at home, and it's a fun project for the entire family. Get your child involved by allowing them to assist in selecting the tree and its location. Then, plant the tree together and watch as it grows. Educate your child on the benefits of having trees. Not only do they provide shade and look attractive, but they also help to increase oxygen levels and reduce carbon dioxide.

Compost - Composting is a fun way to get the whole family involved with living a green lifestyle, plus it will make a fabulous food for your newly planted tree! Set up a bin outdoors and toss empty eggshells coffee grounds, tea bags, and leftover fruit and vegetable scraps into it daily. By composting, you'll keep waste out of landfills and grow the best soil for your trees, plants, and flowers around!

Reduce paper waste - Go green at home by doing more than just recycling paper and paper products you use. Go one step further and reduce the amount of paper that comes in and goes out of your home altogether. This will help save trees and keep our planet beautiful and healthy. There are many ways to go green at home by reducing paper waste. Here are a few simple ideas:

- Change to paperless billing for cable, electric, phone, credit card companies, and so on

- Ask your bank to send your monthly statement electronically to eliminate paper waste

- Send electronic birthday cards instead of paper ones

- Use both sides of paper instead of just one

- Register with a free service online to put a stop to junk mail once and for all

- Use newspaper to make your own gift wrap

Shut off electronics - Did you know that by shutting off electronics at night you can keep your home cooler? Not only that, but it will help conserve energy, which is very important when you go green at home. Children can help out by shutting off ceiling fans in unoccupied rooms, turning off computers, and unplugging other electronic devices. Don't forget to make sure all lights are off too! This will help cut back on energy costs and teach your child one more way to live a green lifestyle.

Reduce water waste - Most children (and many adults) don't understand how easy it is to waste water. They let the water run while the brush their teeth, take long showers, or forget to turn the faucet off altogether. Show your child how easy it is to shut water off in between soaping in the shower, or brushing at the sink. Give your child the title of 'Water Watcher' and have them enforce water conservation. You'll be surprised at how that small bit of power will encourage them to stop water from being wasted.

Give your dryer a break - The next time you run your clothes dryer, step outside and watch how fast the electric meter spins while its running. The clothes dryer uses a lot of energy. Period. It also heats up your house, and when it's already 90 degrees outside, that's no fun! Install a clothesline outdoors and give your dryer a break. Children can help go green at home by helping mom or dad hang the laundry out to dry. There's nothing like the smell of clothes that have dried outdoors!

More from Jennifer Wagner:

12 Ways to Volunteer in Your Community

Eco-Friendly Office Tips

12 Uses for Old Wallpaper Books

Source:

Personal knowledge and experience