These eco-friendly practices help protect the environment and conserve the Earth’s natural resources.
Nourishing Sustainability from Day One
The moment you have your first child, you can engage in eco-friendly parenting by breastfeeding. Breastfeeding not only promotes the bond between you and your newborn child, but it is also an eco-friendly choice of feeding.
When breastfeeding, the demand for the production of milk formula is reduced. When this happens, the resources required to package and transport it are also downsized.
When feeding solids, consider making homemade baby food using locally sourced ingredients. You not only help your local farmers and producers but also cut back on the use of resources for making baby foods.
When it comes to disposable diapers and baby wipes, did you know that they take years to decompose completely? Yes, many resources claim that diapers take tens to hundreds of years to decompose, depending on their composition. During the decomposition stage, these disposable diapers and wipes emit methane gas and other toxins, contributing to the creation of greenhouse gases and pollution.
As an alternative, choose reusable diapers and baby wipes. Using reusable nappies and baby wipes significantly cuts down on wastes that pollute the environment.
Carpooling — Driving Towards Sustainability
Did you know that a single tree takes an entire year to offset roughly 60 miles of driving? Driving for 60 miles can discharge more than 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission.
To help avoid the emission of this much CO2 into the air, you can opt to carpool with other parents. Contact other parents of your kid’s classmates and team up. You can come up with a carpooling schedule or do it alternatively.
Opting to send your children with other kids in one car can collectively decrease your carbon footprint. At the same time, carpooling not only conserves fuel but also creates valuable opportunities for your children to bond with their peers too!
Contact RRCEF at info@rrcef.org for a free tool to help you with carpooling with other parents in your kid’s school.
Reusing and Recycling — Unwrapping a Greener Future
When you’re out shopping or buying groceries, choose products with minimal plastic or paper packaging. It is also better to bring your reusable eco bags to put your purchases in.
Opting to turn down products with excessive plastic and paper packaging is one sustainable alternative to helping save the planet. When a needed product is packaged in plastic, choose reusable or refillable ones. Avoid single-use plastics at all costs.
By choosing these actions to reuse and recycle, you teach your children the value of prioritizing the welfare of our environment.
Embracing “Hand Me Down” Clothing and Sharing
Another way of promoting eco-friendly practices at home is by embracing hand-me-downs. Children go so fast that keeping up with their wardrobe needs could be quite a challenge (mostly financially).
In the process of garment production, manufacturing plants emit carbon emissions and cast out textile wastes that can harm the environment. The more we buy clothes for them (and throw out their used ones), the more carbon emissions and textile wastes there would be.
Shop recyclables and reusable items at second-hand stores or thrift shops. Maximize using gently-used clothes and garments not only to save money but protect the environment too. This reduces textile waste and conserves resources like water and energy.
Once your kids have outgrown their clothes, share their garments with other people. In the process, you teach your children the importance of sharing, resourcefulness, and conscious consumption. Additionally, you help educate other parents on these eco-friendly practices.
Cultivating a Small Herb or Veggie Garden
Cultivating a mini garden at home (no matter how small) can nurture your children’s thirst for a connection with nature. It will foster in them the responsibility of growing and taking care of the plants, making them more conscious of our ecosystem and the environment.
Whether you have a backyard or just a small balcony, growing herbs and vegetables can be a rewarding experience for you and your kids. You promote sustainable living by growing your own food and helping care for the environment.
Choosing Eco-Friendly Household Products
Most of the household items we use in our homes contribute, in one way or another, to environmental degradation. To limit the harmful effects of these household products on the environment, opt for eco-friendly cleaning products, detergents, and personal care items.
These eco-friendly products contain biodegradable ingredients that minimize harm to our ecosystems. By choosing these products, you create a safer home environment for your family and contribute to a cleaner planet.
