Family Meal Ideas for a Green Lifestyle

With the busy, hectic lifestyles that most families have today, mealtimes together are the best time to interact and relax. It can also be a great opportunity to share your values and re-affirm your family’s dedication to support a clean environment. Even food choices can reflect those ideals and goals. By reducing meat consumption, choosing organic, and patronizing local food sources, families can enjoy their meal and what their choices stand for at the same time: a cleaner, greener planet. Though it may sound simple, we are all consumers and our choices have an impact.

Cut Back on Meat

Everyone loves a good burger on the grill. Meat is fine in moderation, but our demand for animal and meat products has made an impact on the environment, not to mention our overall health and fitness. Consider that in the USA, 70% of homegrown cereals and grains are fed to farmed animals. This industry consumes one-third of all domestic nonrenewable resources, including fuel. Because of this, more environmentally conscious families are decreasing their intake of meat or taking it out of their diet completely. If the thought of giving up that barbecue scares you, the good news is that you don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan to make a difference. By just having a few meatless meals a week, your can decrease your environmental impact and benefit your family’s health as well.

Choose Organic

Many concerned parents choose organic products for their family because they are free of pesticides. They might not even realize the environmental benefits of organic agriculture. It is completely sustainable because it is produced in such a way that the land is not harmed, and is preserved for future use. Organic farmers preserve the soil, fertilize naturally without chemicals, and conserve water. Quite often they also sell locally, which conserves fossil fuels and energy otherwise spent for transportation.

Though once only found in heath food and specialty stores, organic foods are becoming available everywhere, from grocery stores, to bulk warehouse stores, to farmer’s markets. Even if there isn’t a wide variety of organic foods available or affordable for you, you can look into participating in a community garden or starting one yourself in your yard.

Eat Local

To support not only a better environment, but also your local economy, purchase and eat foods grown near or in you local community. Think of how much pollution and energy is saved when food doesn’t have to be refrigerated, frozen, or transported thousands of miles. Fresh is best, and that’s what you’ll get locally from food that hasn’t traveled far. It is often more economical as well. Imported, out of season foods will cost more.

Most importantly for families, eating local is safer, as it is often organically grown and there is a much lower chance of food contamination during shipping or processing. Parents can feel confident preparing locally grown food with their children that it is wholesome, safe, and eco-friendly.

Hopefully you will be encouraged to try some of these great ideas to get you started incorporating green ideals into family mealtime. Families that eat together can think green together, and enjoy great tasting food at the same time.

Green Ideas for Housecleaning

When most people choose cleaning products at the supermarket, they give little thought to what goes in the cart, other than choosing the most appealing and affordable. But there are good reasons to learn more about using green, natural cleaners around the house. Those name brand cleaners might work well and smell nice, but at great cost to the environment and possibly even your family’s health.

Just because a cleaner is available on the shelf, doesn’t mean that it’s safe. Many household cleaners include chemicals that have the capacity to be toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. Do you really need products in your home that contain hydrochloric acid, formaldehyde, or petroleum in order to have a clean house?

These ingredients are just a few of the hundreds of potentially toxic substances used in cleaners from the grocery store. They might have warning labels cautioning about dangers of physical harm, but not the harm to the planet we live in. Every day, tons of cleaning products are thoughtlessly poured down the drain. This is frightening, as these substances can’t be processed effectively by septic systems or sewage treatment plants. The end result could be surface or ground water contamination. This puts fish and wildlife at risk.

These are all very good reasons for environmentally conscious families to choose natural, eco-friendly cleaners that are safe for their families and the environment. Rest assured that natural ingredients work just as well as processed chemical ones, without any negative side effects. Here are a few:

Pure Soap

Pure, old fashioned castile soap just like your great grandmother used still works. Soap and water are eco-friendly and can clean your home effectively without chemicals.

Vegetable Oil

Believe it or not, vegetable oil makes a great wood furniture polish. It can shine and hydrate wood furniture without a waxy build-up.

Vinegar

Not only is vinegar a natural disinfectant, but it is a deodorizing all purpose cleaner. Most moms will be glad to know that it kills:
• 99% of bacteria
• 82% of mold
• 80% of viruses and germs

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another versatile old fashioned eco-friendly cleaner that has been around or generations and still works. It naturally scrubs surfaces, deodorizes, and makes an effective base for cleaning pastes. If you want something that smells fresh or pretty to scrub your tub or toilet, add some essential oil to your baking soda paste.

Lemons

Add some lemon to a baking soda cleaning paste with vinegar, and you will add extra cleaning power to dissolve hard water deposits or soap scum. Lemons also have a natural ability to shine copper and brass. They smell wonderful and add to your homemade cleaning products’ ability to deodorize.

As you can see, it’s easier than you might’ve thought to create your own environmentally safe supplies to clean and disinfect your home. You probably have at least one of these examples already. However, if you are short on time, you can purchase natural green cleaners. They are becoming more widely available online, in health food specialty stores, and even in the cleaning section of mainstream grocery stores. There’s no longer any reason not to clean green for a healthy family and cleaner environment.

Buy In Bulk – Reduce Waste

For large families, buying in bulk makes a lot of sense. It saves costs and trips to the grocery store. But did you know that it’s good for everyone, as well as the environment? Consider that in the U.S. a third of our garbage is made of up of just product packaging. Most things that we buy are over processed and over packaged to get our attention. Start paying attention to items and brands that have less packaging and spend your money wisely. It can save you money, reduce costs, and reduce your household trash output significantly, contributing to a greener planet.

The first thing you need to do is change your mindset when you go to the store. We’ve been programmed by an aggressive marketing industry to pay for convenience. Single serve packaging is convenient, right? Carry it, use it, throw it away. But what is the true cost of this convenience? Our landfills are quickly running out of space, and someday soon we might be completely out. Decide that you will no longer pay for convenience if it means increased packaging. When you do buy packaged products, look for materials that can be used again or recycled. And when at all possible, buy in bulk.

Buying in bulk just means buying multiple items in one package. Warehouse stores are known for selling items in bulk for economical shopping. Even if you don’t have a big family, here are the three main reasons why it makes sense for everyone:

1. Cost Savings: When many items are packaged together, the manufacturer doesn’t have to spend as much to process and package them, and the savings is almost always passed on to the consumer. Bring a calculator with you to the grocery store and compare bulk item per unit costs to single item costs. You might be surprised how big the difference can be.

2. Waste Savings: Simply put, less packaging means reduced waste. Think of everything that is needed to ship an item from factory to distribution center to store and keep it fresh – foil liners, cardboard, boxes, plastics. It all adds up to major garbage output. When you buy bulk items, there is usually less to throw away.

3. Time and Space Savings: Let’s face it. We all want to recycle, but it takes time and effort to get all of those materials cleaned sorted, and dropped off. Buying in bulk not only cuts down on disposable waste, but also the amount of items you have to recycle. Your recycle bins won’t fill up as fast, and you will have more space in your garage or your home. Another great time savings from buying in bulk is that you don’t have to go to the grocery store as often for non-perishable items. Less trips to the store means less transportation costs and pollution, and more free time.

If you ever thought buying in bulk was just for large families and businesses, you might need to think again. It can help your family to live a green lifestyle and save money, waste, time, and space.

Water Conservation Tips for Your Home

When you turn on the faucet at home, chances are water will come pouring out. It’s something that most of us take for granted, that there will always be clean, potable water ready for use. However, increasing population demands on water supply and rain shortages leading to drought situations can trigger water use restrictions. Taking steps to conserve the precious natural resource of water is a smart aspect of green living and can save money on your city water bill or give wells a chance to replenish groundwater supplies.

Taking steps to conserve water at home today can help ensure that we will have a viable supply for generations to come. There are many small, simple ways to save water at home. Here are a few eco-friendly, money saving tips:

Don’t Let Water Run

So many people let water run when washing dishes or brushing teeth. Just by shutting the faucet off and turning it on only when needed for rinsing, you can make an impact toward conserving water over time.

Fix All Leaks

Leaky pipes or dripping faucets mean money lost and water wasted. Examine plumbing for leaks or drips and fix them immediately. Even if a plumbing professional is needed, it will be worth the cost because you will be automatically conserving water and reducing your water bill.

Use the Dishwasher

This is good news for anyone who dreads doing dishes by hand. If you use an Energy Star rated, efficient dishwasher, you actually will use less water than if you hand washed all your dishes. If your washer isn’t energy efficient, consider investing in one when your dishwasher needs to be replaced. Any extra cost will be paid back in lower utility bills. Never run the dishwasher unless it is fully loaded in order to avoid wasting water. If you do wash dishes by hand, adjust the water stream so that it is not on full blast.

Get an Energy Efficient Washer

Clothes washers that are energy efficient also conserve much more water than traditional washers, saving up to 40%. Like with your dishwasher, never run the clothes washer with a partial load if you want to conserve water. Also, avoid the permanent press cycle, as it uses an additional five gallons of water for the extra rinse.

Install Low Flow Plumbing

Low flow shower heads or toilets are an instant investment for water conservation. They help to cut down how much water your family uses every time someone takes a shower or flushes the toilet. Low flow shower heads can cut your home’s water consumption by 30 percent and still provide sufficient pressure. If your toilet is less than 12 years old, it is probably already efficient, as the National Energy Policy Act of 1995 required new toilets to use 1.6 gallons of water or less for each flush. However, if your toilet is older, it could be using as many as seven gallons per flush.

Conserving water around the house isn’t difficult. It takes some effort, and the greatest savings in water usage and money requires an investment in energy efficient appliances or plumbing. However, any effort is well worth it to keep your water supply flowing and make your home environmentally friendly.

Tips to Help You Reduce Household Waste

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, most American families throw away about 29 pounds of garbage per week, per family member. That comes out to 1,600 pounds per person each year. Landfill space is at a premium, and at the rate we’re going we’ll soon have nowhere else to put all of our waste. You might be surprised at all of the little things you can do to keep your garbage output lower. Less waste means a cleaner environment, and cost savings for your family as well.

- Recycle. Never throw recyclable materials away. Just about every community has a recycling program or facility. Recyclable materials include plastics, glass, cardboard, aluminum, and newspaper. If your community doesn’t have a recycling program, why not see what you can do to start one? There are government grants and incentives available for communities that want to go green.

- Reuse. There are plenty of new uses for things that would otherwise be thrown away. For example, save those plastic grocery bags and use them to line trash baskets. Use glass jars and plastic containers to hold leftovers. Old clothing can be made into rags. Plastic bread bags can be used to hold a packed lunch. The list is endless with a little bit of creativity.

- Say no to disposables. Though they might be convenient, disposable items contribute an amazing amount of trash to our landfills. Wash and reuse plates, cups and flatware instead of buying disposable. Use cloth napkins instead of paper.

- Buy minimally packaged products. Did you know that around 30% of all of our trash is just from product packaging? It’s impossible to avoid packaging altogether, but look for packaging materials that can be reused or recycled. The easiest materials to recycle are paper, aluminum, tin, and some plastics. Look for the recyclable seal on all packages.

- Buy in bulk. This goes hand in hand with looking for minimally packaged products. The more products in one package, the less packaging wasted. Besides that, you’ll end up saving money on your grocery bill too.

- Fix it, don’t throw it. Don’t throw something away that doesn’t work if it can be fixed. Repairing an item, even if you have to bring it to an expert, might be less expensive than buying a new one. Consider bringing ripped clothes or clothes that need to be hemmed to a tailor. Bring electronics that don’t work to your local electronic store and ask for a repair estimate.

- Give it away. Consider giving gently used items you don’t want or need anymore to friends or family members who can use them. If you don’t know anyone, charities, thrift stores and consignment shops all take gently used donations. You can even ask for a receipt so that you can put it towards a charitable donation tax deduction.

There’s so much at stake if we don’t find eco-friendly ways to manage our waste. We are all citizens of this planet and have a vested interest in keeping it clean and green. Helping to free up landfill space can be achieved one family, one consumer, and one decision at a time. Start to make your household greener with some of these tips today.

« Previous Page