5 Green Tips for Families: For Doing the Best We Can

Not easy being green? These 5 green tips for families will have you well on your way in no time! #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Parenting is riddled with tough choices.  Things that were once clear become a little “fuzzy.”  I definitely considered my self eco-conscious before having kids, but now that I’m a parent?  It’s a little harder.

Things like not wasting food is virtually impossible.  I dare you to try to get my kid to eat a banana with a brown spot.  Oh, and the time I bought multi-colored goldfish in bulk only to learn the green ones were unacceptable?  Awesome.

Then there was the toilet paper strewn around the house incident.  And the phase where my middle child decided it was super fun to turn on every light in the house when he woke up.  It gets even more interesting when you hit the playground and jump into a mom-on-mom debate about which is better for the environment – cloth diapering or disposables?  Good times.

To quote an old friend, “It ain’t easy being green.”  But as family, we can try.

Here are 5 Green Tips for Families.  For families like mine, that just do the best we can.

1) Recycling Basics:  With kids, as most of us know, reinforcement is key.  We printed off this free printable from totschooling.net, and taped it to the inside of the cabinet where we keep our trash can.  Before the kids throw anything away, I’ve asked them to check the chart to see if it can be recycled.  When I see them making good decisions, I occasionally give them a small treat.

2) Better Battery Choices:  Do y’all go through as many batteries as we do?  I feel often like we’re in a Guinness Book of World Records competition when it comes to replacing dead batteries.  The three kids and my gadget lovin’ husband go through an incredible amount of batteries. Ok, I probably add to that too.

But now, I feel a little less guilty about it.  Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ , which is new to market, is now available and offers Engerizer’s longest-lasting alkaline battery and the world’s first AA battery made with recycled batteries.  They are also available in AAA, and both sizes can be found at Walmart.

We do often use rechargeable batteries, but I gotta admit I’m not great at always remembering to recharge them.  And when their turtle light dies and they need it to go to sleep?  Energizer® EcoAdvanced™  batteries for the win.

3) Replacing Light Bulbs:  We’re in the process of replacing all of our old incandescent bulbs with the more efficient compact florescents.  I’m still trying to find the right “color” of light, so if you have any recommendations in this department, I’m all ears!

4) Smarter Snacking: My husband has been a champion of this for a long time, and I’m getting on his bandwagon.  Pre-packaged snacks should be reserved for when we are on-the-go.  When we’re at home, there’s no reason why one of us can’t pour applesauce from a container into a bowl, or pour crackers onto a plate.  Reduced packaging plus it’s less expensive.  Win. Win.

5) Urban Gardening: Spring is when my kids and I head to the local home improvement center to pick out our favorite veggies and herbs to put in our patio pots.  We help each other take care of the plants and water them, then come early summer enjoy the bounty of our hard efforts.  Not only does this teach the kids where their food comes from, but they are much more excited to try new foods.  We may even splurge for a few small beds in the backyard this year.

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