Easy Eco Friendly Tips: Do it for your kids!

Kids love nature - we should learn from them!

I am not a "green" fanatic by any means, but since my kids were born and particularly during the last 2 years, we have been making some small changes at home to be more eco-friendly and to do whatever we can "to save planet Earth" as my kids will say. It pains me to think and imagine what the world will be like when my kids and grandkids area adults. We should all realize that change can happen one household at a time and that we do not need to wait until big companies and governments do it for us. The more households that start making small changes and demanding better ways of life, the more the big companies will react accordingly. So here it is the top list of our small changes and links to some of my posts so you can see the "how to" do it too!. Tell me about your list!

Top Small Changes YOU can do to Save Planet Earth:

• Grow your own vegetables: Whether you have a small house or acres, you can do this. It is better for your family, the food taste better and you help reduce the carbon footprint of bringing vegetables to you from all over the place. If you do not have a green thumb, buy your veggies at a local farmers market.
• Recycle: I do hope you live in a town the recycles. If you do, take advantage of it. We recycle all our paper, plastics (the ones allowed) and cans/bottles. In some states, you can even get money back from your cans and bottles!! it is like getting free money - take advantage of that.

New candles made with old wax from spent candles

Tires as Potato Planters

• Reuse: As much as you can reuse and re purpose things around your house. We do it all the time. I use cloth diapers as cleaning rags, tires as potato planters, egg cartons and lint as fire starters for camping or your fireplace. I collect my spent candles' wax and make them into new candles, paper rolls/cardboard into craft materials, etc. the sky is the limit for your imagination.


• Collect rain water: Install water/rain barrels in your house. For only $40 you can collect rain water for yourplants, to wash the car, etc. It will save you quite some money in your water bill - really!





Vermicompost


• Compost: You can either have a traditional compost pile to turn your garden and kitchen waste into compost for you rplants, or you can do vermicompost: composting with worms to turn your garbage into awesome nutrients for your vegetable and flower garden.
• Buy organic: If you can afford it, buy organic whenever you can. At least buy Organic Milk and make sure your kids do not get tons of yuky hormones in their milk.
• Make your own cleaning stuff: Did you know that the most powerfull cleaning agents are so cheap and readily available in your house right now? Vinegar, Lime, lemons and baking sodas can help you a lot to clean more naturally and save you some money. Clean your windows with a solution of vinegar and water and you will never go back to Windex!
• Save water: teach your kids to turn off the tap while they do their teeth, and to turn the shower off while they put soap on, you will save a lot of water and money. Run your dishwasher instead of cleaning dishes by hand and wait until it is full to run it.
• Save electricity: turn the lights off everytime you exit a room. Turn computers, DVR's etc. off if you are not using them. Do your laundry once a week so you have full loads. Use wool drier balls to reduce drying time for your clothes and if yu can dry them outside in the sun (do so away from your neighbours - they may not like to see your undies!!!)
• Donate your old clothes/toys/books or tag sale it: Do not through away your old clothe. Donate it to your local charity or sale it on tag sale. Either way, you will find a new person that will enjoy it for years to come. Books can be donated to schools and libraries, and magazines to elderly homes and hospitals

Selection of homemade food stuff: Yogurt, pickles, tomato sauce, jam

• Make your own food: It is not only healthier for you, it is cheaper and more delicious too. I frequently make yogurt, can tomatoes and cucumbers and make jams.

If we all start doing some of the above, we will be moving to a better place!! I would love to hear your eco-friendly tips too! Please let me know.