Going Green for the Whole Family

While the direction for going green seems to be fairly clear for many corporations and industries, it is often not so easily seen in every day households. Although some families are trying to encourage their children to be careful about leaving on lights in rooms in the house when they are not needed, these concerns are generally interpreted as concerns about lowering the electricity bill-not really concerns about conserving valuable natural resources themselves. However, there are definitely ways that parents can get their children excited about the green movement. Here are several ideas to make "going green" a fun activity for your whole family.

1) Be eco-conscious in your shopping. Children will notice if you suddenly stop buying one brand and start purchasing another, especially if the second brand tends to be more expensive than the former. Support brands that use recycled material to package their products. Use hygiene products (such as toothpaste and deodorant) that boast of more natural ingredients, made without parabens and other similar toxins. Your children are sure to ask you why you have chosen to make these changes (especially if they don't like the new products as much as the old ones); this provides the perfect opportunity for you to give them a "going green is important" lesson. If your shopping priorities reflect your values, your children are more likely to buy similar green eco-friendly products when they also grow up. In addition to your choice of products, going green while shopping can also mean using reusable shopping bags. Many grocery stores even reward their customers with discounts (such as ten cents off per bag used); invest in however many bags you think your weekly groceries will fit into and the price of the bags should be more than accounted for by the discounts over time, as grocery shopping is most likely an activity that you will be doing for a long time.

2) Plant a garden. Store bought vegetables are often grown with many different chemicals sprayed on them. While these chemicals are necessary for large scale production of crops and subsequently more reliable profits for farmers, they can be avoided in your home grown goods. Children will enjoy eating the tomatoes, beans, and other plants that your family grows if they are given a part of the process. Planting a garden is also a great way to teach your family about the importance of recycling leftover waste foods as compost materials. Start a compost bin for your children to toss their left over banana peels and potato skins in; use this compost to fertilize an area of dirt in your backyard, and use that compost rich dirt to plant your eventual garden. This way, children learn that waste can be used for good. If you do not live in an area where growing a garden would be practical, take your children to a local farmer's market once in a while and purchase "home grown" vegetables from there. Even though you won't be growing the goods yourself, you still should be buying mostly chemical-free products.

3) If you are not doing so already, start recycling. While a common practice for most households on the West Coast, I was surprised at how many of my friend's families from other regions of the United States did not regularly recycle their paper and plastic products. Even if the recycling service for your hometown costs an additional fee to subscribe to, try to set aside the funds needed for this. If you simply cannot afford the service, most cities have large bins in some designated parking lots for recycling materials like cardboard or newspaper, and most towns also have pop can or plastic bottle collection sites where the cans can be exchanged for a little bit of money. Set up different containers in your house (the garage is a great place to do this) and teach your children to separate their trash based on what it is for the purpose of recycling.