20 Ways to becoming an Eco-Friendly Family

Green.
It seems to be the color of the year! In the last few months, I’ve come across many a magazine, newspaper, commercial, television show, and website promoting eco-friendly living.

As a child, I was passionate about conserving. I helped raise money to save three acres of the rainforest. I was adamant about preserving water and energy. I often confronted litterers (as only a child can) and encouraged my family to recycle.

Mom reused containers (jars, butter tubs, etc) to use for food storage. We rarely used sandwich baggies. Mom and Dad got the most use out of their appliances as possible. They lasted for a long, long time. Mom also organized her errands to save on gas (and money). Looking back, we lived a fairly “green” lifestyle (mostly in an effort to save money).

Nehemiah 9:6- You made the heavens, even the highest heavens and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You gave life to everything and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Over the years, I’ve abandoned some of those ways in the name of ease. I’m ashamed to admit the amount of waste we have in our home. One of my New Year resolutions is to commit myself to a healthier lifestyle, and that involves taking care of the earth, the land our Heavenly Father has given us.

I have found this to be a great opportunity to teach my children about conserving, reusing, and recycling. Of course, the best way to teach is through action, but sometimes, kids don’t quite understand why we do what we do, so it’s important to talk to them as you go green.

One of the easiest ways to save energy is to turn off lights and appliances (television, radio, etc) when you leave the room or aren’t using them. This was a habit I started as a child and have continued to this day. Encourage your children to do the same. If they can’t reach their light switch, place a stool nearby, or purchase an extender which allows them to do so.

You may not think about it, but simply having appliances plugged in uses energy. Unplugging these things when you aren’t using them will save energy and money. We have our television, sound system, dvd player, and chargers (for the laptop, cameras, and phones) plugged into a power strip. This way, we only have to unplug the power strip when these items aren’t in use.

While we’re on the subject of appliances, when it comes time to purchase new ones, go for those that are energy-efficient. It might cost a bit more upfront, but you’ll save in the long run.

You can also purchase energy-efficient light bulbs which last years, instead of months. Many come with a guarantee. If they don’t last as long as the manufacturer says, you can get a free replacement or refund.

We recently started washing our clothes in cold water. (This also saves money because we aren’t paying for heated water!) I use hot water for my husband’s work clothes (which need disinfecting) once a week.

When I come across a piece of clothing that has a stain I can’t get out or a hole I can’t mend, I set it aside. Sometimes I can cover the hole on a shirt or pair of jeans with a cute iron-on patch. (The kids love this. It seems like a new shirt to them!) Other times, I use the fabric to make something else, like a patch work dress, a superhero cape, or an outfit for a doll. The children can also use the scraps to learn to sew things like bean bags. We save the scraps for craft projects as well.

You can reuse a lot of items when it comes to craft projects. A trip to a museum in Baton Rouge gave me new ideas. This particular museum (I forget the name) has a children’s area. In one section, they have a creative area full of items like egg cartons, paper towel cardboards, fabric and paper scraps, boxes, buttons, raffia, ribbon, and much more. They encourage children to put their imaginations to work to build something. Here are some of the things some of the visitors made.

A while back, I needed an envelope but couldn’t find one. I decided to make one out of a page from a magazine. Since then, I’ve used magazine and scrap paper to make stationery. This is a great way make sure your magazines don’t go to waste. You could also pass your magazines to your friends. A magazine swap is a wonderful way to save money and paper. I’ve also used magazine sheets, newspaper, and brown paper bags to wrap gifts. (You can stamp or draw on newspaper or paper bags to make a pretty design. Kids love to do this!) You may be able to find an e-zine version of your favorite magazine on the internet, which also saves money and paper.

You can cut down on paper waste by writing notes on chalk boards or white boards instead of post-its. Try to reuse paper if possible. Here are a couple of recipes for making (recycling) your own paper!

- Pioneer Thinking’s Recipe
- Make Stuff’s Recipe

I mentioned that my mother reused jars and tubs for food storage. You can use these items to store craft projects if you don’t use them in the kitchen.

There’s a cool little lunch box on the market now. It’s called the “Bento“. It a container with smaller containers inside. This is great for separating items that could spill all over the place and for keeping sandwiches from going stale or falling apart without using plastic baggies. Even though we usually eat at home, my kids love helping me create cute little lunch box meals. These things come in handy when you go out for a picnic or a meal on the go. Laptop Lunches sells these containers.

Cloth or canvas grocery bags are all the rage these days. Before, they were a bit too expensive, but now Wal-mart and Target are selling them for a mere dollar. I bought a couple and keep them in my purse. It’s useless to purchase them if you don’t have them with you when you go shopping! If I do get plastic grocery bags, I use them in my van to toss trash before it consumes the vehicle. You can also throw stinky diapers in them so the smell doesn’t overwhelm your trash can (if you’re using disposable diapers, that is).

This month, I began using a weekly meal planner. Not only has this taken so much stress off my shoulders, but it also keeps me from wasting food. All too often, I buy fresh produce that ends up wasting away. I was just thinking about how many chickens died only to sit in my fridge because I intended to cook the meat but kept putting it off or completely forgot about it. Menus4Moms offers a free weekly menu complete with a grocery list. This helps me stay organized. I’m always prepared for supper, which makes my husband a happy man! (Plus, I save money because I’m not wasting food!)

We buy a lot of things in bulk, but sometimes (most of the time) we only need about half of whatever it is. We now split the cost and bulk with another family, which saves both of us money (and saves on waste since it requires less packaging).

When it comes to meal time, we haven’t completely switched to cloth napkins. We do, however, put a kitchen towel on the table to use as the “family napkin” if the meal isn’t too messy. This has cut down on our napkin and paper towel use. When we’re finished with the meal, I can wipe the table down and toss the towel into the washing machine.

We use special cleaners for our house. I have asthma and am sensitive to cleaners and strong perfumes. I tried vinegar, but I despise the smell. Then I fell in love with Method cleaners (found at many grocery stores like Target). They have a variety of scents to choose from (I have Lavendar All-Purpose cleanser and Mint Window Wash) with no underlying chemical odor. Method Cleaners are non-toxic, biodegradable, and naturally derived from natural minerals. They have cleansers for wood, stainless, and other special materials. Their tub and tile cleaner is fanastic, especially since there is no headache-inducing odor!

Encourage your family to save water by turning off the facet while you brush your teeth. We also share bathwater in our home. I take a bath first, and then bathe the children. This was a pretty common practice fifty years ago, but not so much now! You can also use the leftover to water plants. Showering requires even less water, but we are remodeling and don’t have a shower at this moment.

Set out recycling bins, and talk to your children about what sort of items go inside. I know it is exciting for us to figure out what we can recycle. When you go to the park or another public place, pick up trash and talk about the importance of putting garbage where it belongs.

Hopefully you don’t smoke, but if you do, don’t throw the butts on the ground. No one likes a litter bug!

These tips are easy to implement and are a step in the right direction. Sometimes this means taking a little extra care and effort, but it’s well worth it. It’s just one way we can disciple our children in caring for God’s blessings. It’s a wonderful lesson in stewardship of our earth, our possessions, and our finances.

Genesis 1:26- Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Feel free to share some of your favorite “green” ideas, websites, and books!

Here are some websites to help you and your family conserve!
GREENandSAVE: Find out how much you’ll save if you switch to greener methods!
The Green Guide: From National Geographic
Go Green Initiative: Helping others learn about environmental stewardship.

Check out these wonderful books
Recycled Crafts Box by Laura C. Martin
Recycle Every Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Where Does Garbage Go? by Paul Showers
Why Should I Save Energy? by Jen Green
Why Should I Protect Nature? by Jen Green
Why Should I Save Water? by Jen Green

Mandy is a former homeschooling student who has set out to homeschool her three young munchkins in an unschooling meets discipleship method. In her column “Delightfully Discipled”, she gives a glimpse into the curious minds of her children as they follow their natural instincts to explore the heights and depths of knowledge and and are led though Godly discipleship. She blogs at MandyMom.com and Noggin News.