5 ways to reduce your family's carbon footprint
It's January and that means it's time for New Year's resolutions! This year, scrap the half-hearted promise to lose weight or keep the house tidy and do something that affects the entire planet. Yup, we're talking eco-living!
Okay, so we know you're not going to end global warming in one year but there are small steps we can all take to make an impact. When we think of eco-living it's easy to feel overwhelmed and intimidated, but it's not as hard as you may think. With over 7 billion people sharing Earth, every little change really does make a difference; so with that in mind, we've put together some easy things you can do to reduce your footprint and have an awesome eco-year!
1. Don't just bin it, recycle it
Children go through toys like no tomorrow, they break and get broken and then thrown away on a regular basis. This year, instead of just binning it, recycle it! Most toys are made from recyclable materials including wood, plastic and cloth, all of which can be recycled.
2. Buy greener toys from Green Toys
Green Toys are made from recycled plastic milk jugs, meaning you can buy them guilt-free! All products are packaged in 100% recyclable cardboard, and printed with minimal colour using soy inks. Plus, Green Toys contain no BPA, lead, phthalates, or other harmful substances!
Buying Green Toys is also a great way to teach children about recycling, helping the environment, saving energy, and reducing greenhouse gases. By showing that environmental responsibility can be fun!
3. Reduce and reuse: Nappies
Now Don't run away just yet, we know reusable nappies are met with confused looks and dread, but it's probably not as bad as you think! Nappies take between 200-500 years to decompose and leave behind some nasty chemicals.
Think about it like this: New born babies get changed around 12 times a day, this means that over 2000 nappies are being tossed in landfills for each new baby... Cloth nappies could save you an average of £700 a year and divert up to 874kg from landfill, reducing the carbon footprint by 40%!
Reusable nappies have been endlessly redesigned in the past few years and there now super reliable and easier to use than ever before
4. Use less paper
Do you have a budding artist at home? Let them scribble on old envelopes and paper you are already throwing out to reduce the amount of paper you use.
You can even try using cloth napkins instead of paper and switch out kitchen paper towels for a sponge or rag. For every ton of paper we recycle, we save 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
Take a look at this great piece by the Small FootPrint Family for more tips!
5. Get growing outdoors with the kids
Switch part of your supermarket shop out for homegrown fruit and veg, and why not get the kids involved. Quality time in the garden with your little one throughout the summer and a great lesson in where food comes from - it's a win-win!
Growing your own fruit and vegetables also reduces your footprint massively - no emissions from food transportation or synthetic fertilizers. Plus, it's a great excuse to start up a compost bin for that nutrient-rich soil to feed your growing plants.
These really simple changes will make a huge difference in reducing your carbon footprint. Even if you're not up for the commitment of a vegetable garden just yet, start small by buying eco-friendly toys this year. Wishing you a very Happy New Year from everyone at Bigjigs Toys!