5 Simple green living tips for young families

Many people want to change their way of living as they enter a new phase of life – the family life. They want their new life to be better than the previous one. In the recent era, one of the major changes that people bring about their lifestyle is going towards greener living. This essentially means that they want to reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint, primarily by cutting down on wasted resources, recycling goods, and making environmentally conscious choices. 

However, young families can find such changes to be confusing at the beginning. Sometimes parents worry whether their family is making sustainable choices? Will it be easy for them to live a greener life? Is following the green life trend worth it? Does it make any difference? Indeed, most families are not doing their best to live sustainable lives. It is not easy to move out of one’s comfort zone and bring about a changed lifestyle. However, sustainable living doesn’t have to be overwhelming; small steps and changes can be implemented right away that can bring drastic positive changes to your family’s environmental footprint. Here are five tips that can help you make earth-friendly choices:  

1. Reuse and recycle:  Discuss this as a family, and learn about the immense impact of plastic pollution that we have today. Plastic is not only harmful in its production stage for the planet, as it is made of non-sustainable natural fuels, but recycling it is also expensive, and that’s why many countries just dump tons of plastic in landfills each year. Furthermore, it takes decades to decompose most of the plastic material, including one-time-use plastic packaging. Therefore, avoid disposable plastic utensils, containers, and bottles. Instead, use tin containers or glass storage containers for storing your food and carrying your meals in your everyday life. You should also buy reusable aluminum bottles and set up an example for your family to stop using one-time plastic bottles. Since they are easy to customize, you can even print your family name or slogan on them and give them a personalized look. These mentioned alternatives are not only environmentally friendly but are recyclable too.   

• Conserve Energy: Teach your kids to turn off lights and other electronics when not in use. It is one of the most efficient and impactful ways to reduce carbon emissions. Upgrade your house with automatic switches and sensors, which can automatically turn off lights and other electrical components when sitting idle. Also, make sure to use natural lights more frequently and reduce unnecessary usage of artificial light sources. When constructing or buying a new home, make sure that the house is adequately insulated and the windows are fully sealed. This will help you conserve energy while keeping the temperature warm or cool inside your home. It would be best if you also replaced old bulbs with new energy-efficient LEDs. Opt for energy-efficient equipment, even though they might be a notch pricier, but the investment will be well worth it. Overall, all these steps will save immensely on your energy bills and, at the same time, contribute drastically to your primary goal of living a greener life.

• Grow your food: Creating a family garden is a fun way to get outside for some fresh air and physical activity. It will be a great activity to have quality time with your family, and your children will also learn the value of food. Your diet will also become more diverse, fresh, healthy, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as you prepare meals with your garden’s fresh produce. Growing your food also helps nature to heal, as long-distance transportation of food relies on fossil fuels. 

• Transportation: Vehicle emissions cause significant damage to the environment. Therefore, choose an electric or hybrid car if you can afford it. However, suppose you cannot buy a hybrid or electric vehicle; in that case, you can reduce your fuel consumption by cycling or walking to a nearby destination. Teach your kids cycling at a very young age and encourage them to go to school via cycling. This will reduce air pollution and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle as a family. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use public transport and carpool when travelling within the city.

• Buy smart and responsibly: Teach your kids how to shop responsibly and encourage them to shop from local markets. Online shopping is fun and attractive to the newer generation, but it has massively increased our carbon footprint. Buy clothes from local shops that are made from sustainable sources. Encourage your family to visit thrift stores for possible second-hand buying options.

Scrap plastic-made products such as razors and toothbrushes; instead, use metal and wooden substitutes for such items. Also, discourage buying products that contain microbeads as it ends up in oceans and marine life mistakes it for food.  Once you initiate the greener life movement around your house, you will notice healthy changes in your lifestyle. Each family can do more and more, but tips mentioned above are some of the fundamental, easy, and effective ways to start with your green living goals.