January is a great month for making resolutions and pledging to become more environmentally friendly. So how about these 10 simple ways to go green with your family?
Whether you decide to take a few baby steps or get truly low impact, these are some great options for reducing your family's waste and using less resources.
And, with the current state of the world’s environment, every little bit helps!
10 simple ways to go green with your family
Going green is not only beneficial for the environment, as there can be some other unexpected benefits as well.
Despite the assumption that green alternatives are extremely expensive, many can actually save you time and money.
And as a by-product, you may develop healthier eating habits, avoid exposure to toxins and even find that you become more resourceful and creative.
Here are some green choices and alternatives you can consider adding to your routine this year.
New year, new you
- Reduce: Everyone knows the 3 R’s - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - but most times we skip straight to the last step of recycling. Reducing your use of disposable items is the easiest way to reduce your impact on the environment.
- Skip the bottled water: Avoiding plastic water bottles is one of the simplest ways to avoid excess waste in the modern world. In most cases, the bottled water is no different from tap water! Even if you recycle your water bottles, a water filter can be a better, greener option long term.
- Avoid plastic bags: Go for a reusable shopping bag; they are cuter, longer lasting and unlikely to rot in the environment for thousands of years.
- Straws: Consider investing in stainless steel or glass straws. It's estimated that there are up to to 8.3 billion plastic straws on the world's coastlines.
- Reusable cups: Do you need a hot cup of coffee or tea from your favorite spot every morning? Bring your own cup and score points with Mother Earth! Keep cups as they are known actually make great presents for new moms too!
- Cleaning products: Making your own cleaning products from simple kitchen ingredients is a great idea for reducing exposure to toxins and reducing plastic waste.
- Menstrual products: Once you do the math, switching to reusable period products will be the best idea ever. Items like menstrual cups, cloth pads and period underwear are healthier and cheaper than regular disposable options.
- Cook at home: Think of all the disposable items you can avoid by making a nourishing meal at home. Make a greater effort to prep, plan and cook some more meals at home. And avoid waste by using leftovers.
- Eat local: Make an effort to include and source local varieties and seasonal fruits and vegetables into your diet. Support your local farmers and eat healthier!
- Get thrifty: Plant a garden, compost your scraps, join your local library, and shop secondhand clothes and toys. Being thrifty is good for the environment. Don’t be afraid to wear the same outfit twice; the fashion industry is a major contributor to pollution and waste worldwide. Oh, and shop second-hand where possible!
Small steps to start
This is by no means an exhaustive list for becoming a bit more environmentally friendly.
If we all start making small deliberate steps in the right direction, we can reduce our impact on the environment and hopefully leave behind a better world for our children.