Green Living: 13 Ways Busy Moms Can Be More Environmentally Friendly
I have always felt the importance of doing my part to protect the environment, but getting hard core into green living felt like just one more ball to toss into my life as a busy mom’s juggling act. Wanting to do my part, I tried tossing it in the mix in small ways: recycling plastic and paper, supporting brands who were obviously green, using recyclable grocery bags—you know, the things that didn’t take too much time or energy and didn’t require a lot of research.
One day, my 9Y son came upstairs crying after learning some disturbing facts about the environment on an educational site and said we needed to do more as a family to make a difference and “help Mother Earth.” I asked him if he’d like to be the Green Leader in our family and help us all learn how to live a bit greener.
He prepared a lesson on green living and taught our family ways in which we could be more environmentally sensitive. He shared things like shortening the length of our showers, turning the water off as we brushed our teeth, turning the car off while we waited during car pool, and other simple steps. Again, nothing that’d require too much time or energy, but ways in which we could help. So, we all got on board and increased our commitment.
Then I came to India. And I didn’t just come to India as a tourist. I came as part of Aveda’s initiative to provide clean water to villages in Delhi and the Himalayas as part of their partnership with Global Green Grants Fund and from their Earth Month fund raising campaign, where they raised more than $3.5 Million to provide clean water to countries around the world.
If awareness is the first step to changing a person’s behavior, let’s just say my eyes are wide open to ways in which I can make a difference.
13 Ways for Greener Living
Even just adding one or two things to what you are already doing can go a long way to helping protect the environment. Any busy mom can do that, right? Here are 13 tips to choose from:
- Assign one of your children to be the Green Leader in your family, making him or her responsible for certain “earth friendly” tasks like overseeing your family’s recycling efforts, etc.
- Grow your own vegetable garden.
- Compost.
- Purchase carbon offsets when you fly (most airlines allow you to purchase when you buy your tickets).
- Recycle more than paper and plastic:
- Purchase products from Farmer’s Markets in your area.
- Volunteer or organize Earth Month activities in your area or at your children’s schools.
- Ride your bike, walk, carpool, or use public transit instead of driving whenever possible.
- Research brands who make are environmentally sensitive and support them by purchasing their products or giving to the charitable organizations they run or partner with.
- Purchase wind energy or other renewable power.
- Contribute time, money, or help in raising awareness to an environmental organization.
- When purchasing a car, choose a hybrid or a car that gets great gas mileage.
- Read online books instead of buying hardbacks or paperbacks.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com.What can you do this week to be more environmentally friendly?
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[...] not only humanitarian aid but also sight seeing, cultural experiences, and great insight into going green. That last one really caught me off guard, but if you know anything about Aveda, you wouldn’t [...]