Going green is actually a campaign that starts from home. It starts from each family member who would need to set eco-friendly goals that would help him/her enjoy a sustainable lifestyle while encouraging others in the family to follow suit. If you are looking out of ways to get your family involved in your mission to go green, consider the simple, but really effective tips mentioned below.
Start with reusable bottles and plastic bags
Encourage everyone in the family to ditch the use the throw bottles and opt for reusable bottles instead. Taking their own water bottles to school, college or office would also help.
Ask your family members to take reusable plastic bags for shopping so that they can avoid getting a bag from the shop. Always keep a couple of these bags stacked away in your vehicle for last minute shopping. You will be doing the environment a great deal of good by reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in the landfill.
Encourage recycling and re-purposing
Your family would need to actively take part in the recycling program you launch. Set up recycling bins in the kitchen for different types of waste and encourage your family to segregate waste accordingly. You can also ask them to re-purpose old items to be used around the household so that they don’t hit the landfill until they are absolutely ready.
Encourage energy conservation
Ask everyone to switch to efficient lighting like CFL or LEDs. Remind family members to turn off lights, fans and the other electronic appliances they are not using at the moment. These would include cell phones, televisions, computers and mp3 players. Unplug these devices when not in use in order to avoid phantom loads. Opt for a power strip that would come with at timer allowing you to switch off all the lights, fans and electronic appliances in your home when no one is there.
Encourage water conservation
Ask your family members to turn off the faucet when brushing their teeth or shaving. Encourage short showers and install low showerheads that don’t waste much water in the process. Make it a point to water the front lawn either early in the morning or late in the night to avoid water wastage. Install dual flush toilets that use varying amounts of water for removing liquid and solid waste. And get together with your family to set up a rain water harvesting system to collect water that can be used for washing, gardening, etc.
Set up a local garden
Encourage your family members to opt for organic, locally grown food in order to reduce their carbon footprint. If you have the space, you can set up your own local garden to grow vegetables and fruits. You can even create a compost pile to add more nutrients to the soil, thereby minimizing the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Growing your own food would in turn help your family enjoy a healthy, sustainable lifestyle while giving back to the environment.
Encourage the purchase of green products
Ask your family members to stay away from synthetic products that may contain ingredients which are harmful to the environment. Encourage them to choose green products that are eco-friendly and extremely effective in whatever they do. The market is overridden with fake green products. Guide your family members in identifying the real green products so that they can embrace the idea and take it forward.
Encourage public transport options
Whenever possible, ask your family members to walk to a destination, ride a bicycle or opt for public transport like buses and trains. Carpooling can also help them reach the desired destination without causing too much pollution in the process. Try to combine all your errands and make 1-2 trips for the same in your car rather than making several trips. This would help cut down your carbon emissions significantly in addition to letting you enjoy cost savings on gasoline.
Summary
Work with your family to adopt a greener lifestyle. It brings cost savings without affecting your style or way of life.