Easy Eco-Friendly Changes That Make a Big Impact
It doesn’t require a complete life transformation to support the environment. Let’s face it, as parents, life gets hectic, and convenience often takes precedence. Luckily there are small eco-friendly changes you can make that can have a big impact. Not only are there easy steps you can take, but the whole family can get involved, setting your kids up for a lifetime of habits that support the health of our planet.
This post is sponsored by Hippo Sak.
Getting Inspired to Make a Change
The easiest way to minimize your environmental footprint without making drastic changes is by starting with the products you purchase. You can commit to reducing your waste, but with kids in the house, it’s nearly impossible to go zero waste without a major life change.
From diapers to spills, trash is a fact of life for families, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to clean up your act. Hippo Sak created the world’s first plant-based trash bags. The bags are made from sugar cane instead of fossil fuels, allowing them to be renewable, recyclable, and reduce your carbon footprint. In addition to being a more sustainable choice than trash bags made from recycled or virgin plastic, these bags are also 100 percent recyclable.
Hippo Sak’s Plant-Based trash bags are just one part of their entire product line, including plant-based baby diaper disposal bags and compostable food scrap bags. Hippo Sak also has a line of bags made from recycled ocean plastic. As many as 12 million tons of plastic enter the ocean from third-world countries each year. Hippo Sak is helping to eliminate some of that massive waste by collecting the plastic from shorelines before it can hit the open ocean and recycling it into trash bags, pet waste bags, and more.
Inspired by Hippo Sak’s leadership and commitment to the future, we came up with some eco-friendly changes as easy as taking out the trash.
Easy Eco-Friendly Changes That Make a Big Impact
It’s incredible how easy it can be to help the planet with one small change. Check out our list of impactful ways you can make a difference. The best part is that the whole family can get involved in many of these steps, which help kids learn about the importance of protecting the environment.
Switch to Eco-Friendly Products
- Switch from traditional trash bags to plant-based or recycled bags
- Use glass storage and leftover containers
- Use reusable lunch and snack bags instead of single-use plastic
- Change to eco-friendly cleaning products
- Choose clean beauty products
- Switch your dog to Earth-friendly dog food & pet waste bags
- Use washable fabric napkins and kitchen towels
- Look for brands with specific certifications like USDA Certified Bio-Based Products or B-Corp status
Try a One-a-Week Technique
- Meatless Mondays
- Carpool/bike/walk to work or school
- Batch your errands to one day per week
- Go power free for one evening, meaning no devices
Grow Greener
- Grow an organic vegetable garden without using harmful pesticides and chemicals
- Compost your kitchen scraps and use compostable compost bags
- Plant a tree
- Join a community garden
- Advocate for more green spaces in your community
Support Your Local Community
- Buy locally farmed produce at a community Farmer’s Market
- Shop at local small businesses
- Teach the kiddos to help clean up local beaches, parks, and city areas by picking up trash
- Support companies with eco-conscious policies and practices
Reduce Home Waste
- Switch to online bill pay
- Opt-out of junk mail
- Run only full loads of laundry and dishes and avoid peak energy-use hours
- Install a smart thermostat to regulate home heating and air conditioning
- Adjust your water and electricity use
- Consider installing solar power
For more fun ideas to teach the kids about sustainability and the environment, check out our Earth Day Crafts and Activities list!
What are some ways your family is helping the planet one small step at a time? Share your ideas with us in our Local Anchor Facebook group.