Each day, we learn more about the ecological impacts we are having on the planet. As parents and adults, it’s essential that we educate our children about the need for a sustainable environment while they’re young. Sustainability for kids involves the small changes they can carry out to protect plants, animals, and natural resources to ensure that their future generations can enjoy them. In this post, we’ll share ways you can teach little kids about environmental sustainability.

Make them a part of household chores

Including your little kids in household chores teaches them about sustainability and also helps them gain life skills needed for the future. Some examples or chores you can include them in are:

Packing Groceries: Showing your kids how to pack and put groceries in a reusable bag is the first step. Replacing the bag with some nice cotton carriers may prompt them to ask why you made the change. Take them shopping with you and explain how the plastic reusable bags damage the environment when they end up in oceans and landfills.
Washing clothes: Teaching them how to place and remove clothes from a washing machine creates awareness. As they grow older, they can start learning about energy conservation from the machine’s temperature.

Make them assist you with recycling: Making recycling a part of your kids’ lives can develop their environmental conscience, from disposing of used gift bags to donating clothes they’ve outgrown to charity. You can teach them why they need to put egg shells, banana skins, apple cores and more into a waste bin meant for food rather than a standard garbage bin.

Make it enjoyable for them

Children love having fun, so if you’re looking for ways to teach them about sustainability, then you can make it enjoyable. Below are two ways you do that:

Use the game concept: Teaching kids through games and play is an old concept that can be utilized in several ways. One interesting way to utilize this concept is by using colored boxes to distinguish your recycling, then ask your kids to pick the correct box.
Take them on an excursion to a recycling center: While this might not be interesting to you, it’s definitely a good way for the kids to learn. Children will learn about how to reduce environmental impact at home through recycling and waste management.

Practice a greener lifestyle

Your kids will learn faster from you when you practice what you teach. You could try reducing your screen time and take a walk in the woods. Changing your disposable items and one-time use plastic with recyclable or reusable ones is also a good idea. Some simple swaps you can make in your house are, using reusable sanitary items and cloth nappies. You can also utilize metal straws that are reusable severally and patronize brands aiming to decrease waste generation.

Environmental sustainability is an important aspect of human lives, including our children. Now you know some ways to teach your kids to adopt a greener life and reduce waste generation to make the world more habitable for future generations.

September 17, 2018 by Incredible Planet Staff

6 Best Ways for You to Go Green

Homes

There are a number of people, communities and businesses that are interested in conserving and protecting the natural resources. The problem is that most are not aware of what they need to do in order to become more environment friendly. Put simply, being environmentally friendly simply means adopting a lifestyle that’s better for the environment. It is about taking small steps to make the planet a better place for generations to come. But, how and where to get started? Learning to be a tad more environmentally friendly can actually turn out to be easier than you believe. It doesn’t mean that you change everything; you can start small for making the changes a normal and sustainable part of your life.

Here are some of the best ways for you to go green:

Increase your awareness of resources

The first thing you have to do for going green is becoming more aware of the resources that you utilize in your daily life. You need to start paying attention to how you choose to travel, heat, use water and also other products that are made by manufacturing practices. It is only through awareness that you will be able to make choices that are environmentally friendly.

Start practicing conservation

When you have become aware of the natural resources you use in your life, it is time for you to start practicing conservation. This can be something as simple as walking or biking to work instead of taking the car or turning off the lights when you leave the room. There can also be some complex actions like going over your options when it comes to constructing your home.

Planting trees is a good idea

Trees are essential for our survival. We need trees for giving us oxygen and fruits and cleaning the air. They also prevent soil erosion and give shelter to wildlife. When you have a shady landscape around your home, it can go a long way in reducing your consumption of energy and also help in keeping your home cool during the summers. Therefore, it is definitely a good idea to plant small trees around your house and also work with local environmental groups for planting more trees in your area.

Conserving water should be a priority

It is crucial to conserve water because a lot of energy is needed for pumping water from lakes and rivers into homes. Hence, through conservation, we reduce the amount of energy required for filtering it. Some of the ways you can save water is by fixing leaking pipes, taking short showers, recycling water at home, collect rainwater for watering your lawn, using water saving appliances and keeping the running tap close when brushing your teeth.

Use products and services carefully

You need to be careful when using products and services and ensure they are environment-friendly. Figure out what products are made of fossil fuels or use in processes and look for replacements. Likewise, be cautious when you are hiring services. For instance, when you are thinking about hiring a moving service, look for services such as Movegreen.com that are focused on protecting the environment and don’t implement practices that can inflict damage.

Alter your travel habits

Flying and driving are two areas where you can make a real impact on the environment. Travel less, opt for more fuel efficient travel options and use direct routes for saving on fuel. If you don’t have to go far, opt to walking or cycling instead of using your car.

These practices can help you in protecting the environment in the long run.