Does
your family remember to recycle at home? Are you conscious about
anything that goes in the trash? Is your child the one who reminds you
to turn the lights off, or the other way around? In other words, are you
a Conserve-it-All? (or do you wish you were?) With Earth Day right around the corner, why not take the challenge along with me, other bloggers, and the folks at SheSpeaks and P&G, as part of the P&G Conserve-it-All Program?
About P&G Everyday Effect
"Many people think their everyday actions are ordinary, and that the things they do every day can’t make a difference to help the environment. P&G believes the most effective changes don’t necessarily start with grand acts and can start much closer to home, by changing the way we think about things like waste.
Seemingly ordinary actions - like washing your laundry in lower temperatures, doing the dishes with concentrated products or changing a diaper that uses thinner materials – can be a surprising help to the world we share... allowing us all to reduce waste."
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Recently, I shared some great Earth Day activities that you and your family enjoy outdoors. If you missed my post, click here to read it now --http://www.inspiredbysavannah.com/2013/03/fun-earth-day-activities-whole-family.html. After talking with my husband the other day about how we as a family can reduce waste in our house, we came up with some great activities that would include the girls. Savannah and Arabella are at the ages that they like to do hands-on activities, so we wanted to find a fun challenge that would not include them, but also teach them about reducing waste. And, to help remind them to continue to do these activities daily, we created a chart that will track their progress during the month of April. At the end of each day, if they complete a particular activity/task, then they will get a sticker. Then, at the end of the month, we will celebrate by planting a mini vegetable garden with plants they choose at the local nursery. That way, we can continue our Earth-friendly activities well into the summer. :-)
So, what will we be doing this month to help educate the girls about reducing waste in our home? Here are just some of the fun activities:
1) Recycle -- We have started teaching the girls about recycling, and turned filling the recycling bin into a game with Savannah. Whenever we are done with plastic jugs, cans, etc., I will ask here first if the item can be recycled, and then which bin does it go in. We have a bin for newspaper/paper, another for plastic bottles, one for glass, and another for cans. She has a blast helping us put the recyclable items into the correct bins. And, come trash day, it is a breeze to put out all the bins. Before, we were finding ourselves putting everything in one large bin, and then having to organize the items the night before. Now, we are saving time in not having to organize the bins to be put out, and Savannah is learning about recycling, and doing her part to help the environment. :-)
Fun Egg Carton Flower Wreath
Source: kraftykat76.blogspot.com
2) Reuse -- Each day before we through things out, we will see if we can come up with create ways to use the items. The girls love crafts, so this will be a fun way to use things like egg carton, paper plates, tissue paper, bubble wrap, etc. that we usually toss, and reuse it to create fun, textures art projects. Since starting to reuse items, we have make some pretty cool art projects, including a Fruit Loops rainbow and used cut up kitchen sponges to create fun sponge art cards and posters to display on the refrigerator, and give to Nana and Papa to enjoy. And, with Easter a few weekends ago, we had empty egg cartons we have used to sort items by color, size, etc., as well as created a window garden for Savannah and Arabella to plant some starter seeds for their gardens. :-) Here are some other great egg garden crafts from around the web -- http://innerchildfun.com/2011/07/around-the-web-made-from-egg-cartons.html.
3) Reduce -- We used to go through a lot of paper water bottles each week, as the girls only drink water and milk, and my husband and I use it instead of the well water to make our morning coffees and teas. Just last week, I called a local spring water delivery service and are now having them delivery 3-gallon jugs to us. So, instead of going through a couple 24 packs of water bottles each week, we simply have to pump from the 3-gallon jugs when we want water, and when the jug is empty the local spring water delivery service will pick up the jugs and replace them with new filled jugs. Instead, we will re-use jugs through this delivery service, cutting down the waste or collection of water bottles we used to accumulate weekly.
The compost will add nutrients to our soil, making our plants grow better. :-)
5) Shut off lights and unplug gadgets, toys, etc.when not in use. I don't know about you, but my girls love to turn on and off lights every chance they get. And, half the time, they forget to turn them off, and leave the room. I only stumble upon the lights on when I go to put things away. So, this has been a great way to get them to pay more attention to their energy usage, and make sure they shut off lights when they leave a room, especially the playroom and their bedrooms. And, my husband and I are doing our part, by unplugging appliances and gadgets when not in use. I can't tell you how many times my husband would leave the cell phone or iPad chargers plugged in, without the devices actually being charged. He just thought it was convenient to have the cord ready and waiting. Now, we make a point to unplug these items when not in use, thus cutting down on energy usage in the house.
I am so excited to be taking part in the P&G Conserve-it All Program with my family, and love coming up with fun ways that my family can help reduce waste in our house. Why not consider taking part this April, in celebration of Earth Day? What ways can you think of that you and your family can reduce waste? First, start by rallying your family together and getting them excited about waste reduction, and then choose your challenge. "How will you to work with your family to reduce, reuse and/or recycle in your home? Set a realistic goal and involve your whole family to make it happen. Every household can and should experience the everyday effect of reducing waste! How will you turn your home into a conservation powerhouse?" I would love to hear what great ideas you have come up with, by sharing them below in the comments sections. Also, share your fun projects through Twitter by using the program hashtag: #everydayeffect. And, make sure you have fun in the process! :-) We are having a blast, and love how we are teaching the girls at such a young age about waste reduction and helping to protect the planet.
To learn more about P&G and their Conserve-it-All Program, visit their website: http://www.pgeveryday.com.
And, don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for news and special offers:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/proctergamble
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProcterGamble
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G. However, the views above are mine and mine alone.
You have some clever and creative ideas in this post. Thanks for the nudge to do better. It really does make a difference.
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