By: Bobby Chen
A healthier Earth starts with sustainable habits. What better way than to start 2024 by implementing healthy activities in our routine? Here are 10 more sustainable habits that both children and parents should develop!
- Unwanted Toys and Clothes: Many children probably have clothes or toys that they’ve outgrown; instead of letting them collect dust or throwing them in the trash, donating them will reduce waste and help another child in need.
- Transportation: We all know that cars emit carbon dioxide resulting in the huge air pollution problem we have today. To combat this, consider taking walks for short trips, and using bicycles, public transit, or other forms of human-powered vehicles.
- Repair: Often when things break or get worn down, it is instinctive to throw them out and buy replacements. Taking clothes, for example, learning how to sew is not only a unique hobby and pastime, but it will also be a valuable skill that will reduce mass-buying of clothing.
- Farm Visits: Bringing your children to farms not only introduces them to gardening, as introduced in our previous sustainable habits blog, but it also allows them to interact with animals, and see who and what they’re impacting. Visiting farms also gives them a complete insight into how food and products go from farm to fork.
- Education: Reading books and blogs, like this one, is essential when it comes to developing sustainable habits. Reading not only allows them to discover new information, but it also improves their critical thinking, creativity, literacy, and writing. Whether it's reading fiction or educational materials, children can benefit and set themselves up for success if they learn to adopt the habit of reading.
- In-Season Food: Eating in-season fruits and vegetables can not only improve health, but it is also far less harmful to the environment. Eating out-of-season fruits requires shipping foods long distances (which has a large carbon footprint) or modifying the environment to grow them in places they ordinarily wouldn’t grow (which often requires chemicals that are harmful to the environment). Additionally, in-season fruits and vegetables provide far more nutrients and flavor.
- Volunteering: Whether it’s participating in tree-planting events, volunteering in the farmer’s market, or doing trash cleanups, giving your time to better a community that supports sustainability is a great way to directly impact the environment.
- Zero-waste: Many products nowadays are designed to be as minimal as they get. Whether it’s refillable deodorant or non-packaged bar soap, there are a lot of products that help with zero-waste without making the zero-waste practice ridiculous.
- Avoid Animal-Based Textiles: Wool and other animal products have been known to be a huge contributor to water pollution due to the chemicals required for cleaning. Additionally, stripping animals of their skin often results in animal abuse in many shearing sheds, which is a big reason to avoid supporting and purchasing animal-based products for clothing. So try to buy vegan textile alternatives that are more sustainable and more ethical to animals.
- Cold Water Laundry: Although many people use hot water to wash their clothes for a more thorough cleaning, it requires a lot more energy and is unnecessary for most basic cleaning. Doing laundry with cold water reduces the amount of carbon emissions and energy consumption. Not to mention, cold water reduces the amount of shrinking and color fading when washing clothes which also increases how long they will last!
In summary, starting 2024 with eco-friendly habits is a great way to create impact and care for the world we all live in. By implementing these practices in our daily routines, we’re not just helping our planet, but we’re also passing on the green mindset to the next generation. Let’s all make 2024 a year of awesome habits for a healthier Earth!