# Teaching Kids an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/05/teaching-kids-an-eco-friendly-lifestyle/
- Published: 2020-05-09T00:49:38-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

No one person can save the planet with just a reusable beverage container. [Cities like New York are](https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/greenliving/apartments-get-eco-friendly-nyc-cities/)
[about to get more eco-friendly](https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/greenliving/apartments-get-eco-friendly-nyc-cities/)
for energy reduction and waste management.

#### So it’s obvious that a variety of earth-friendly actions is for the taking.

For the taking in their own homes to make a difference.

Although small changes in an [apartment](https://www.rentcafe.com) over their lifetime.
SO big

Diminishing humans impact you have on the planet requires us all to pitch in and
demand changes in our everyday actions. So Here are just a few simple steps families
and [children](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/09/tips-for-getting-your-teen-interested-in-saving-energy/)
can take for an eco-friendly lifestyle:

#### **Save grey water**

Most kids learn in elementary school that turning off the tap when they’re brushing
their teeth can save as many as 300 gallons per year. Using less water is an effective
way to lower wastewater treatment costs and the amount of energy used to treat and
pump water. The lower energy demand helps prevent air pollution.

That’s not the only way kids can impact your family’s water usage, though. Consider
how little of the water you use around the home that doesn’t need to be drinking
quality.

![](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/pexels-photo-
1134062.jpg?resize=188%2C126&quality=52&ssl=1 "pexels-photo-1134062 - The Green 
Living Guy")

Kids can divert clean water for use in the garden by placing a bowl under the faucet
while waiting for water to run hot in the shower or when washing dishes. If your
family is using earth friendly cleansers in the bathtub, your [house](https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/06/house-introduces-great-american-outdoors-act/)
plants will thrive with waste bathwater from bar soap.

#### **Refuse straws or choose reusable ones**

A lot of [plastic pollution](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/03/plastic-pollution-what-you-can-do-to-help/)
stems from convenience packaging for fast meals or prepared groceries but there 
are many ways families can reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Americans use 500 million plastic straws each day are thrown away after only one
use.

Plastic is an amazing invention, but single-use plastic for convenience wreak environmental
havoc. Even if they do make their way to a recycling facility, the single use items
are thrown in the trash due to the type of plastic used in food are manufactured.

[Paper straws](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/11/innovation-in-the-way-we-drink-paper-straws/)
wrapped individually in plastic aren’t much better since we discard the wrapper 
in the landfill.

Kids can limit the amount of [plastic trash](https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/04/tech-tools-help-environmentally-conscious-businesses-reduce-carbon-footprint/)
generated by choosing a reusable straw or not using one at all, eating at home with
reusable plates and utensils, cooking at home more often, and carrying a reusable
beverage container.

#### **Use less electricity**

Generating electricity is the leading industrial cause of air pollution and carbon
dioxide in the US because [over 50% of](https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php)
[our](https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_in_the_united_states)
[ ](https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php)[electrical energy](https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php),
coal and natural gas.

Your family contributes to cleaner air by using less electricity in your house or
apartment.

Children can get involved by turning off unnecessary lights. So flipping the switch
when they leave the room or during daylight hours.

Teens can lower electricity usage. All by powering devices off when not in use and
enabling automatic efficiency settings. Many electronic devices continue to siphon
power even when turned off. So it’s best to unplug anything not in use, such as 
[game consoles](https://greenlivingguy.com/2014/01/game-consoles/) or televisions.

#### **Use bar soap for hands** instead of liquid

After using the restroom at Grandpa’s home, my three-year-old stepped to the sink
to wash his hands. He reached for the bar of soap and squeezed it briefly with dry
hands and declared, “Nothing’s coming out!” That moment made me appreciate how much
even the simplest things have changed in a single generation.

![](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/pexels-photo-
545014.jpg?resize=188%2C125&quality=52&ssl=1 "pexels-photo-545014 - The Green Living
Guy")

Your kids can make an outsized impression on the environment by using bar soap instead
of liquid soap to wash their hands. The uniform shape and size make bars less expensive
to package and ship, eliminating cardboard and lowering the carbon footprint of 
shipping vehicles.

Eliminating the plastic bottle and pump dispenser means there is less permanent 
plastic waste in landfills. Bar soap also uses about one-fifth of the energy to 
manufacture than liquid hand soap in a dispenser.

#### Kids can make even more of an impact by gathering the smallest pieces of old bars and transferring them into a biodegradable soap bag. Soap bags corral the various end pieces of leftover soap and turn them into a loofah.

As a follow-up lesson, explain why you choose to air dry your hands and wipe them
on your clothes – instead of using hand dryers that use electricity or paper towels
is enough in public restrooms.

#### **Limit food waste and compost scraps**

Kids don’t often have a say in food packaging. It’s up to parents whether yogurt
comes home in a quart-sized plastic container or small plastic tubes. But they can
certainly have a part in diverting food from the landfill, where food and yard waste
rot and emit greenhouse gases.

![](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/img_1086.jpg?
w=780&quality=52&ssl=1)

Give your children the supplies they need to pack waste-free lunchboxes for school.
Also choose a reusable beverage container instead of a pouch drink. Family-sized
containers of apple sauce and chips. They can be divided into individual portions
in a lunch box. Make an even bigger eco-friendly impact by scraping leftovers and
food scraps into a composter. For example, many [rental](https://www.rentcafe.com/apartments-for-rent/us/co/denver/)
[apartment communities ](https://www.rentcafe.com/apartments-for-rent/us/co/denver/)
in [Denver](https://greenlivingguy.com/2013/04/oakwood-homes-university-of-denver-students-deliver-net-zero-energy-home-price-for-home-buyers/)
offer private or curbside [compost services](https://scrapsmilehigh.com/).

We need to approach environmental stewardship from every direction. Our kids may
not change a senator’s stance on the [Green New Deal](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/01/governor-cuomo-announces-green-new-deal-included-in-2019-executive-budget/)
concept. However they can start to reform the way people live every day.

That’s unconstrained by conventional wisdom, children’s creativity can result in
innovations unimaginable to adults! As good stewards of the earth, it’s up to all
of us to make changes to repair the damage already done. There’s no better to redesign
the future than to equip the next generation to lead the way.

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s=300&d=monsterid&r=g)

 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The
Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides
and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant
and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green
Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For 
Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke #
Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power
System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

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