Eco friendly parenting: 8 tips to help your family live more sustainably.

One day, our kids will grow up to be independent thinkers, educators and worldwide citizens, impacting the planet and the next generation. Their young years and foundation will undoubtedly affect their decisions. So with this and climate change in mind, how can you set up green habits leading to a more sustainable and eco friendly lifestyle? Read further to get our 8 tips and tricks on how to develop eco friendly habits: 

1. Spend time together enjoying the great outdoors:

Teach children to respect their environment and enjoy the great outdoors, by spending time in the great outdoors together. Discover your local national parks and teach them about appreciating the beauty of nature. Point out the different types of trees, flowers and wildlife. Talk about the weather, the seasons and how it changes throughout the year. If you are feeling adventurous, what about a camping trip?

2. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

The three R’s. An easy one to remember and implement at home, sometimes it can fall by the wayside during busy times. Get creative with your children, re-using and recycling objects and materials (this can be an eye opener for you too!). It can also be a good opportunity to teach them how things are made and understand if something can be fixed or must be discarded. A valuable lesson.

3. Take public transport:

Kids love trains and buses. It is such an adventure and also a more environmentally friendly form of transport. Alongside public transport, you could also include walking or cycling. On the plus side, this is good exercise too! An excuse to get outdoors and watch the world go by. Have fun by pointing new things out and discovering everyday life together. 

4. Conserve water:

Teach kids water is not an endless resource, but something to be used in moderation. Turn the tap off when soaping your hands or brushing your teeth. It is so easy to simply keep the tap running. Teach them how to use water in moderation. During drought times in South Africa, showers consist of two minutes. They make it fun, by playing a song that lasts exactly two minutes, and when its over, its time to get out of the shower. They also go a bit further, by placing a bucket under the shower head to catch any extra water before it goes down the drain, and use to water the plants. That is a step further, but it is an eye opener for how much water is used during one shower. 

5. Teach them about gardening:

Teach kids food isn’t made in a supermarket, but that you can make it yourself in your own garden! From planting and eating your own fruits and vegetables, to shopping at the locals farmers market. If gardening is new to you too, take this as an opportunity to learn something new. Easy vegetables to start with are tomatoes, lettuces, courgettes or simply a few herbs. It is lovely to grab a handful and use in your cooking later too. 

6. Arts & Crafts

Get your creative juices flowing with some DIY arts and crafts projects. Re-purpose old cardboard boxes, by painting & cutting them into dollhouses, farms or anything your imagination comes up with! There are so many fun instragram or pinterest accounts showing ideas. Or check out some of our previous themed blogs!

7. Fix things

On that note, teach children about fixing things, rather than immediately replacing with the new. Sew a hole back together, cover a stain with beautiful embroidery, tape up a ripped page.. the list goes on. Use your imagination! 

8. Explain where garbage goes:

One of the most important things you can do is to create less trash. You can help motivate everyone by explaining where garbage goes and what happens to it one you dispose of it. This will help justify the three R’s and hopefully stick to it. One of the biggest pollutants is incontinence waste, from using pads, diapers and pull ups. By using Oopsie Heroes you could contribute to less garbage too!

Hopefully this blog post inspires you with a few practical tips on how to live a more green family life. However, I am sure there are many more. What eco-friendly habits do you teach your kids? We are curious to hear!