Archive for eco-friendly ideas
Eco-friendly Summer Activities to do With Your Kids
Posted by: | CommentsGood day all. The summer is upon us and that means one thing: school is out. Children are at home and you are looking for something to keep them occupied and you prefer that it doesn’t have to be plugged in or charged. Here are some fun and eco-friendly summer activities that will not only keep away boredom, but also allow them to use their creativity, get some fresh air and appreciate Mother Earth.
1) Have an eco-scavenger hunt
Make a list of things you would find in your local park or even the back yard, give them to the kids and allow them to hunt them down. The winner could get a special treat. This is a fun activity because it’s a competition and it gets them outside interacting with nature. You don’t have to be a botany expert to put together a list items – it can be simple things like a clover, wild flower, pine needle, leaves, rock, dandelion etc… This is a fun way to spend the afternoon and it requires very little prep. Just give them a list and pen/pencil and a reusable bag to collect their findings.
A ravine in Toronto's High Park. It's hard to believe that you can watch a Shakespeare play under the stars at the other end of this very same park. Image courtesy of torontoist.com.
2) Eco-outings
Take the kids on an eco-friendly field trip. Bring them to a provincial park or natural conservatory. You can easily find out if your destination offers guided nature walks or other activities. Bring your camera and take pictures of all plants (and bugs) you encounter and afterwards you can create a story about your adventure. Remember to bring along some healthy snacks and water to stay nourished and hydrated in the heat (0ur BPA-free stainless steel bottles are currently on sale for 50% off).
3) Crafts
We here at the Planet Forward blog, have written about dozens of eco-friendly crafts which you can find here. So save your old egg cartons, t-shirts, jewelry, paper towel tubes etc…and turn them into a fun rainy-day activity. These crafts are not just about a fun afternoon. No, they allow children to see the things we toss out everyday without thought can be repurposed. Teaching a child to be resourceful and cognizant of what they toss in the trash is an invaluable lesson.
4) Gardening
It is a little late to start a full fledged garden from seed however there are herbs and lettuce that you can grow in a window box. This is wonderful way for kids to learn about where their food comes from. Also, they will have a new appreciation for all the work that goes into harvesting food. This is an activity that parents will enjoy as much as children because it’s fun to watch them experience the joys of gardening.
If you don’t want to buy a planter try our crafty gardening solution of an egg carton planter. It’s a lot of fun and inexpensive.
5) Visit your local library.
There is an ulterior motivate to bringing kids to a library- you are keeping them sharp for the next school year. Sadly, many kids do not pick up a book all summer and their skills are not sharp for when class returns. Make it fun; give them the lifelong joy of reading by letting them pick out a book of their choosing. Don’t forget that libraries also have movie and other rentals, so this might be a cost effective way to keep the kids entertained. Beyond reading many libraries have activities for various age groups throughout the summer where kids can interact and socialize for free.
6) Charity
Get your kids involved in charity work this summer. It could be volunteering a few hours at a local program as a family. Or even just collecting old toys, clothes, bikes or whatever you have and finding a local charity that will accept the donation. Charities don’t take the summers off. This is a great way to get kids to think about what they have, and appreciate it.
Let this list of activities be a start to new ideas. Ideas that get kids away from televisions, computers or electronic games and gets them thinking and creating. These are all inexpensive and eco-friendly things to do with your kids this summer and they are sure to be fun. Plus you get to spend time with your kids and create (hopefully good) memories.
Tags: eco crafts, Eco Friendly, eco friendly crafts, eco friendly crafts for kids, eco friendly living, eco-friendly activities, eco-friendly activity, eco-friendly ideas, eco-friendly lifestyle, eco-friendly water bottle, ecofriendly, Green Living, greener lifestyle, organic gardening, planet forward, reusable, reusable bags, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable, sustainable choices, sustainable crafts, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable solutionsThe War on Plastic Vol 4 – California contemplates plastic bag ban
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to part four of an occasional series that I’ve titled ‘the war on plastic’ as I’ve made an unofficial decision that doing all possible to reduce the waste associated with plastic products is a huge part of our environmental responsibility. The war takes on many guises, from recycling to reduction, more educated consumption and the development of suitable and affordable alternatives. Few things are as synonymous with a society built upon convenience and disposable products as the continued rise of plastics. I have no debate that convenience is appealing but at what cost? That’s one of the topics we’ll continue to tackle in this series, for more information and the original post please visit here.
More good news in the battleground this month from the state of California that I feel happy and obliged to share. Over 500 California businesses have signed on in support of a plastic bag ban in the state.
The signatures have been collected by Environment California as many businesses elect to support cities in enacting bans of plastic bags. If approved city egislation would ban certain retailers from automatically offering plastic bags at the cash register. Environment California is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. They draw on 30 years of success in tackling the state’s top environmental problems. The companies that have signed represent a healthy cross-section of California business, many small retailers and restaurants, boutiques and convenience stores. Gina Goodhill from Environment California adds:
“From a business point of view, banning plastic bags makes sense, and these 500 signatures prove it”
Logic suggests that a decision that has economic and environmental benefits should be met with little resistance. Single use plastic bags costs retailers many hundreds of millions to provide, a cost that retailers of course currently cover. In truth of course those costs are transferred to the customer who doesn’t really need the bag in the first place. A typical supermarket is estimated to spend $20,000 to $70,000 on single use plastic bags at checkout. More and more retailers are promoting special savings for shoppers who use their own bag, or moving toward making sure a customer has to specifically request. Significantly The California Grocers Association, has firmly placed its weight behind the bill. The focus in an economy still in very slow recovery is firmly cost savings, perhaps not drawing on the aesthetic of plastic bag litter (so often ultimately destined via storms drains and rivers to the ocean) and ocean pollution as much as they could but still the proposition looks well supported.
Single use plastic bags of course not free, at around 3 to 3 1/2 cents per bag – the amount is being transferred into the shelf costs of the products you purchase. If you shop at 4 establishments per week and acquire 10 bags a week, those 500+ bags will cost you an extra $15-$20 per year. Even that quantity of bags may actually be much lower than the reality based on statistics. These numbers made my eyes bulge and inefficiency and waste becomes a vicious circle; in California an estimated 19 billion single use bags are used annually which in turn result in the state spending $25 million each year to clean up and landfill all of the bags. Once again you can guess where that $25 million has to come from.
Arguments against the ban suggest customers will be too greatly inconvenienced and the costs of reusable bags is prohibitive. In which case how did we cope before plastic bags? I went to two stores yesterday and was asked ‘do you think you’ll need a bag’ – of course not…and I somehow coped. More soon plastic battlers!
Learn far more about Environment California via their official site.
Tags: california amendment ab 1998, california considers plastic bag ban, California Grocers Association, cost of plastic to environment, eco-friendly ideas, Environment California, environmental responsibility, green legistlation, ocean pollution, reduce plastic bags, reduce use of plastic bags, war on plasticUK announces subsidies for conversion to renewable heating sources
Posted by: | CommentsJust recently it seems that I’ve found a number of interesting stories that illustrate the role that government can play in aiding environmental measures or conversely where funding is being cut which impacts the ability to regulate or stimulate renewable energy/reduction of emissions appropriately. The tides of change vary from nation to nation but this story is a positive one from the UK.
The British government have announced that significant subsidies will be granted to homes, businesses and schools that are using or converting to renewable heating systems throughout the country. One of the most common methods is a conversion to woodchip burners for heating rather than a continued reliance on fossil fuel heating systems which of course also provide additional pollutants. The new scheme is to begin shortly with more than £850 million ($1.4 billion US/CA) earmarked over the next four years. It’s expected that most of the subsidized funds will be directed to hospitals, schools and community housing simply due to the size of the equipment involved. Nevertheless it’s a positive and encouraging step by a coalition government who have had their green credentials challenged and selection last year. It’s another step toward the EU target for renewable energy reaching 20 percent in the years to come, although the UK has set a lesser target of 15 percent at present.
Solar panels on a brick home in the UK
Additional incentives are in place for homeowners who add solar power to their homes or heat pumps in the ground for the purpose of heating water. There is an interesting migration in concepts around reducing emissions taking place in the UK also as analysts are documenting that more emissions are caused by heating homes and businesses than from generating electricity in the first place. This in turn may result in a new strategy that focuses on transforming the infrastructure of existing buildings. I must say that in reality as important as new green building is, the investment and commitment to try and upgrade existing structures especially for heating surely provides more benefits overall.
This new scheme in the UK is being lauded as a first of its kind, but much work has to be done to move the ratio of low-carbon heating supply in the country from its current lackluster 1% and closer to the European average of 10%. Such statistics speak volumes about the lack of previous investment and incentives. At present the island nation is reliant on gas for 70% of heat, a figure that the government will be wanting to reduce as soon as possible. In economic terms the subsidies are expected to prompt larger investment into green energy businesses which stand to prosper from the changing conditions.
Tags: air pollution, Eco Friendly, eco-friendly ideas, emissions, environment, EU energy targets, government and environment, grants for renewable energy, green construction, Green Living, green policies, pollutants, reducing emissions, renewable energy, solar power, solar water heating, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable ideas
