My family has been environmentally conscious since the ‘green revolution’ began. To help save the earth it takes every single person’s contribution to being ‘smart’ about being a consumer. Our earth is facing many issues such as climate change, resource depletion, pollution and peak oil. We decided that it was never too late to start. We wanted our children to learn about how they can play a small part in reducing landfill waste, cleaning the air, and preserving the natural landscape.
Buying products which are environmentally friendly are high on our shopping list. We buy as much organically grown fresh produce as we can. Packaging of the items we buy is also very important. Recyclable packaging is essential hence we always check if the material has been created from recycled products and that it is recyclable again. We buy as many items as we can that are refillable to minimize packing waste. This includes liquid soaps, dishwashing liquids, and clothes washing liquids, clothes softener, lotions, shampoos, sauces, juices, and etcetera. We also use the jars or plastic containers again to store leftover food and dry food products like beans, flour, and pasta.
Getting rid of waste is also another contribution to our greening. We buy recycled plastic bags into which we separate into waste products, glass, plastic, and paper. Whenever we throw away our trash we separate them accordingly. My youngest child enjoys doing this chore a lot so I make it a point to have her assigned to sorting out the things to throw away.
We’ve also changed all our light bulbs at home to the energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). We make it a practice to turn off the lights whenever it is not being used. We also unplug unused appliances from the electrical sockets. Laundry is done with only cold water and we use the setting of the washing machine with the smallest number of cycles. During the day we make sure the blinds are drawn down so the house remains cool; thus only needing an electric fan to cycle some air in whichever room is being used. The air conditioning is only used 1 hour prior going to bed.
Reusable water containers are used for our water dispenser. We order ours from a water service which does a home delivery. Bottles of mineral water are also reused by filling it up with water from the dispenser. Other methods of saving water include using a ‘balde and tabo’ instead of a shower and bath; turning off the water while brushing our teeth and watering the plants early in the morning.
Paper products like newspapers are used to clean glass, use as liners for our pet’s potty boxes and trays, and wrapping up items. Paper from the printer is reused by the children to draw on or as scratch paper to do their calculations on. We also buy recycled paper products from toilet paper to writing paper! The majority of our bills are paid online. We have also opted to receive estatements versus paper statements. At work, we encourage the “read don’t print” habit! Instead of receiving catalogs via snail mail, we’ve signed up for online newsletters and ebrochures.
The above are just some of the things my family and I have changed to help improve our environment. If every family around the world is conscious about how they use and reuse products, they would be doing our earth and our environment a huge favor. A little bit goes a long way.
