| Here are Eleven Tips to Make your Home or | | | | single serving packages. Don't use plastic sandwich |
| School Greener: | | | | bags, instead use reusable containers. |
| Switch to Non-Toxic Cleaning Products | | | | Buy Organic Foods |
| Cleaning your home can be harmful to your | | | | For lunch or snacks buy foods that are organic, |
| health. Many common household cleaners contain | | | | locally grown, and in season. Food that travels |
| toxic solvents, fragrances, disinfectants, and other | | | | great distances takes a lot more packaging and |
| ingredients that can pollute the air and cause | | | | refrigeration than food bought near where it |
| respiratory, skin, and other reactions. You can use | | | | grows. No time to cook? |
| cleaning products that are non-toxic like Seventh | | | | We can start teaching children at home and at |
| Generation, Method, or even Clorox has a new | | | | schools around the country how to help our planet |
| green line on the market, to maintain your school | | | | survive. Several cultures teach children to respect |
| or home. You can also make your own cleaning | | | | the planet from birth, but in our fast paced |
| supplies with simple ingredients such as baking | | | | society we've become far removed from where |
| soda, soap, and vinegar, they are cheap and | | | | our food comes from, and the importance of |
| easy, and they really work. | | | | recycling. You can add recycling bins in the |
| Organic paint | | | | classrooms and children get involved in the |
| Indoor air is three times more polluted than | | | | recycling process. Teachers ask questions like: |
| outdoor air, and according to the EPA, is | | | | "What do you think will happen to these objects |
| considered to be one of the top five hazards to | | | | you have put in the trash?" Parents at home can |
| human health. Paints and finishes are among the | | | | go also go through recycling process with their |
| leading causes of death. | | | | children. Kids are remarkable sponges for |
| Paints and finishes release low level toxic | | | | information. They have curious minds, and limitless |
| emissions into the air for years after application. | | | | amounts of energy. Children can actually take a |
| The source of these toxins is a variety of VOC's | | | | proactive part in saving the environment. |
| (Volatile Organic Compounds) which, until recently, | | | | 8 Fun Eco-Friendly Activities for Kids: |
| were essential to the performance of the paint. | | | | Cooking with Children |
| Benjamin Moore has a new collection of | | | | Involve your kids with meal preparation. Teach |
| eco-friendly paint called "Aura" which has very low | | | | them about genuine organic food. |
| VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). A wide | | | | Start a Compost |
| variety of colors are available. | | | | Show kids that when they have finished their fruit |
| Light Bulbs | | | | and vegetables, there are parts than can be |
| Save energy by replacing your standard | | | | composted. Involve your children in composting |
| incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent | | | | food scraps, coffee grounds, etc. Get them used |
| bulbs, which lasts about ten times longer and use | | | | to seeing that food waste is not garbage, but |
| about one to two-thirds less energy. | | | | rather something that can be turned into soil to |
| Air Conditioning | | | | grow more food. |
| You can install the comfortmaker HV/AC system | | | | Paper Reduction |
| R410A which has a non-ozone depleting gas. | | | | Use old paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard |
| Buy Furniture Made from Recyclable Material | | | | boxes, and paper bags for arts and crafts |
| Purchase furniture and classroom materials from a | | | | projects. Be thrifty with paper. Did you know |
| manufacturer that produces furniture with | | | | every year; Americans throw away enough |
| recycled materials. If tables and chairs are made | | | | writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high, |
| from wood that is harvested from healthy | | | | stretching from Los Angeles to New York City? |
| forests and done in an environmentally friendly | | | | Whenever possible, make two-sided copies. |
| and sustainable matter, then your classroom will | | | | Going Outside |
| reflect a "green environment." There is a | | | | Taking a walk through the park and woods, or |
| wonderful variety of items on-line. The internet is | | | | rowing a boat are all time-tested ways for kids to |
| a wonderful tool for research! | | | | develop an appreciation for their place within |
| Your Bathrooms | | | | nature. |
| Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets. | | | | Get to Know Your Neighbors |
| Did you know that each time a toilet is flushed, it | | | | Learn names of bugs, critters, birds and trees. |
| uses five to seven gallons of water? If you can't | | | | Use books to get to know the names of plant |
| afford to buy a low flush toilet, try putting a | | | | and animal life in your area then go out and |
| plastic bottle in your toilet tank. You can save one | | | | explore with your children what you read about. |
| or two gallons per flush. Use a plastic juice bottle, | | | | Adopt an Endangered Species |
| or laundry soap bottle, and soak off the label. Fill | | | | Have you taken a trip to the local zoo lately? Not |
| the bottle with water, put on the cap, and place it | | | | only will your child learn about animals, but several |
| in the tank. Be careful that the bottle doesn't | | | | zoos now display information about endangered |
| interfere with the flushing mechanism. | | | | species. Children and their families can actually help |
| New Flooring | | | | save some of these beautiful creatures from |
| Floors can be made with bamboo or cork which is | | | | extinction by adopting them. Zoos like the world |
| a softer material. There is no question that | | | | famous San Diego Zoo have programs like CRES |
| bamboo is a renewable resource- it is a grass and | | | | (the San Diego Zoo's conservation research arm). |
| grows very quickly. Where oak takes 120 years | | | | They work to protect endangered species like |
| to grow to maturity, bamboo can be harvested in | | | | the Congo Gorilla, and Koala's. They have |
| three years. | | | | programs like "Adopt an Australian Iguana," where |
| Switch to Recycled Toilet Paper and Paper | | | | kids can learn about the species while helping to |
| Towels | | | | save them from extinction! |
| Kids are always spilling juice, but did you know | | | | Visit Your Library |
| that if every household in the U.S. replaced just | | | | Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying |
| one roll of 180 sheet virgin fiber paper towels | | | | personal books and movies, saves money and |
| with 100-percent recycled paper towels, we could | | | | printing resources. |
| save: 1.4 million tees, 3,7 million cubic feet of landfill | | | | Pick Up Litter |
| space, and 526 million gallons of water, and | | | | Choose a park or a neighborhood in your |
| prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution. Several | | | | community that needs cleaning; get together with |
| companies make paper towels from 100 percent | | | | your children to pick up the trash. |
| recycled paper. | | | | You can teach children about various subjects like |
| Diaper Duty | | | | the extinction of polar bears in the Arctic region, |
| Consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a | | | | because glaciers are melting as a consequence of |
| diaper service to do the dirty work, check out | | | | warmer temperatures. Two wonderful DVD's that |
| the National Association of Diaper Services for | | | | teach everyone about our planet are the films |
| more information. | | | | "Planet Earth," and "Inconvenient Truth." Both films |
| School Lunches Make-Over | | | | will help bring awareness to how beautiful and |
| Reuse containers and reduce waste. Did you | | | | fragile our planet is, and how we can make the |
| know that one kid's average school lunch | | | | effort to preserve it. Yes global warming is real, |
| generates 67 pounds of garbage over a year: | | | | but parents incorporating an eco-friendly lifestyle |
| There are lots of ways you can cut back on | | | | at home can be an example to their children, and |
| lunch waste (and save money). When you go to | | | | in some cases it's the children that end up |
| the grocery store, buy food in bulk rather than | | | | teaching their parents about the environment. |