There are plenty of simple ways kids can take part, no matter their age. From preschoolers to teenagers, the 30 easy ideas below will help families reduce, reuse, and recycle on Earth Day and all year long. 

Little ones

1. Teach your kids to turn off the water when brushing their teeth.

2. Recycle! Have young ones place items such as paper and tin cans into dedicated recycling bins rather than the trash.

3. Transform trash into treasure. Preschoolers can create beautiful works of art by reusing and repurposing bottles, yogurt cups, leftover fabric scraps, and the like.

4. Demonstrate to little ones how to cool your house on hot days by pulling the drapes closed instead of dialing down the air conditioning.

5. Likewise, bundle up in layers on cooler days rather than turning up the heat.

6. Teach little ones how to turn the lights off when leaving a room.

7. Have your kids play with eco-friendly toys and games, like wooden puzzles dyed with non-toxic stains or balls that are BPA- and phthalate-free. 

8. Make bird feeders out of natural ingredients like pine cones and birdseed.

9. Engage them in planting a garden and growing vegetables that your family can eat.

10. Get a houseplant or two and talk about how plants improve the air we breathe.

School-age kids

11. Elementary school kids can help with shopping for recyclable products. Have them look for labels that say recycled content, pre-consumer, and post-consumer. 

12. Kids can place small recycling bins in each bathroom in the house. Bonus points if you can get them to empty them each week into the curbside recycling bin.

13. Show them how to use reusable rags instead of paper towels to clean up messes.

14. Create a compost pile, whether on the kitchen counter or in your backyard. Kids can throw in egg shells, coffee grounds, and most food scraps and wait for them to turn into rich soil to use with plants outside and in.

15. Encourage them to sign up to pick up trash from community spaces like playgrounds, parks, or beaches.

16. Teach them to turn off the lights when they leave the room (again!).

17. Let the kids make signs in every room of the house that remind family members to turn off the lights. 

18. Use reusable water bottles rather than single-use plastic bottles. 

19. Plant a tree at school or home.

20. Plant milkweed native to your area to help the monarch butterfly population. 

Tweens and teens

21. Bigger kids will enjoy visiting thrift shops to nab pre-owned pieces that otherwise may have ended up in the landfill.

22. Don’t forget to encourage them to use reusable bags when shopping.

23. Have them unplug their electronics and chargers when not in use.

24. They can also turn off their desktop or gaming monitors when they aren’t using them.

25. Ask them to devise ways your household can collect rainwater for use on houseplants or flowers.

26. Turn off the lights when leaving the room. Yes, you’ll probably still be working on this one with teens even though you’ve been preaching it since they were little.

27. Recycle old cell phones responsibly. Before donating or recycling a device, be sure to back up all data and perform a factory reset to erase personal information. Many retailers and manufacturers offer trade-in or recycling programs, and local communities often host certified e-waste collection events to ensure devices and batteries are handled safely.

28. Use a timer to conserve water when taking a shower.

29. Remove makeup with cleanser and a reusable wipe instead of disposable wipes.

30. Host or volunteer at an e-waste collection event. 

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Although it’s true that our fur babies love the freebie organic snacks they can score at Earth Day celebrations around town (April 22 this year) and of course we all appreciate those biodegradable poop bags, WWOOF is short for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It’s a program started in the 1970s by a secretary in London who missed her childhood vacations in the countryside. She worked with a local university to create a trial program where fresh-air-starved urban dwellers could volunteer at a small local farm for a few hours a day in exchange for a country weekend with tasty home-cooked meals. The idea took off, and half a century later it’s a worldwide movement to promote sustainable family-run farms. Today there are more than 12,000 hosts in 130 countries, from a pineapple farm in Hawaii to a dog and horse rescue farm in Texas to a lavender field in Provence. Way beyond helping to grow organic vegetables, the experiences are as broad as the imagination, from beekeeping and mushroom foraging to tending water buffalo and building earthbag homes. Luxury is not part of the experience: accommodations can range from rustic cabins and mobile homes to yurts and tents. Some farms are completely off the grid; others offer a room in the host’s home. WWOOFers can spend a week or two, or even months, coming away with new skills, extraordinary cultural insights, and maybe lifelong friendships. Hundreds of hosts welcome children, and many also accept pets. The best part? No money changes hands.

I confess that my one experience on a WWOOF farm spanned about four hours in the French countryside and mostly involved my very appreciative palate. I still can taste the banquet of homemade bread, cheeses, savory stews, garden vegetables, pastries, and wine from a local vineyard shared by the young owners, family members, and guest workers at a 15-foot-long trestle table in their picturesque barn-turned-bunkhouse. I occasionally surf the WWOOF websites and imagine trying it for real. Although tending water buffalo isn’t on my wish list, my fantasies run to harvesting bouquets of peonies, caring for baby goats, and foraging for mushrooms.

Here are some super cool family-friendly ideas I plucked from WWOOF.net and WWOOFusa.org.

Moloka’i

Hunt and Gather, Hawaiian Style

WWOOFers help grow and supply a fruit stand; hunt, fish, dive, and gather some of the world’s tastiest foods as they soak in the wisdom of the elders on one of Hawaii’s last tribally controlled islands.

Great Smoky Mountains

Build a Bat House, Do Mosaics

Pick your own project: rock bordering flower beds, bat house or birdhouse building, organic flower gardening, organizing workshop, sewing, mosaics. More comfy than typical, the cabins have kitchens, a library and movies. Stay a week or a few months. Woman-owned, pets accepted.

Norway

Gather Hay, Make Cheese, Pick Berries, Do Chores

A stunning mountainside family farm with goats, horses, chickens, and bees. WWOOFers share in all farm and family chores, including household and gardens. Pets accepted.

Ohio

Work on 19th Century Heritage/Survival Skills

This biodynamic farm is a WWOOFer family favorite, set in a re-created 19th century village with a 1960s vibe. It’s also a school that teaches skills like survival/homesteading, soap, candle, cheese and butter making; and foraging, plus a Waldorf-inspired farm school for homeschool kids. Hosts need help with gardening, carpentry, cow milking, and everyday chores. Accommodations are basic cabins and a teepee. Woman-operated. Pets accepted.

Tennessee

Blaze a Trail, Make Art, Tend the Magic Garden

This artist/philosopher/writer host seeks WWOOFers with practical skills, especially gardening. The payback, besides accommodation and food, includes a wildlife refuge and sculpture park, Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), a birding tower, sauna, woodworking shop, sacred beekeeping, plus a pottery wheel, painting and sewing materials, and all kinds of artmaking.

Alaska

Pick Peonies, Sleep in a Cute Log Cabin, Have Fresh Eggs Daily

For an easy introduction to WWOOFing, I love this family favorite. Besides my aforementioned attraction to peonies, I’d get to feed the chickens and rabbits, mulch the garden, practice pickling, and help build things. There’s a pool and fire pit, and the hosts generously lend their farm vehicle for exploring Alaska’s backcountry.

The post How to WWOOF: Sustainable Travel and Farm Volunteering for Families appeared first on SWFL Family.

Here are some basic tips

Eliminate Plastic Bag Use

“Is plastic okay?” You can opt for paper in this situation (better than plastic), or you can bring in your own tote bags! Several grocery stores even offer discounts if you bring in your own bag. You can also bring in separate produce bags for fruits and veggies if desired.

Check Labels

Food producers can easily fool you with titles like “recyclable,” “biodegradable,” “eco-friendly,” or even by employing marketing tactics such as labeling their products using green colors! To help eliminate confusion, look for these certifications on your food or other products:

• Demeter Biodynamic
• Fair Trade Certified
• Food Alliance Certified
• Green Seal
• Forest Stewardship Council
• Rain Forest Alliance Certified
• Scientific Certification Systems
• Leaping Bunny

Diet Specifics

When deciding what to eat, considering vegan or plant-based options that avoid meat and dairy is an uncomplicated way to make an impact. The statistics involving food can be eye-opening. For example, the water consumed in the creation of a single cheeseburger is equivalent to five months of showering!

Additionally, opting for local products reduced carbon emissions while supporting community-based businesses!

Make One Trip a Week

By planning out your trips and weekly meals in advance, you can reduce food waste and carbon emissions from your drive. You also might find it is easier to eat healthier this way, as well.

Freeze Consumables

By freezing food items, you can save them for later and preserve them for longer. Things like bananas will not ripen as fast. Just thaw overnight when you are ready to eat them in the fridge and they are perfectly normal bananas for up to 3 months!   

Compost food scraps:

When food is discarded into a garbage can, it is ultimately deposited into a landfill. Many foods naturally decompose and provide nutrients for soil. But in a landfill, this process is disrupted. Since the food scraps are unable to break down properly, they release methane into the air and sometimes cause trash fires.

Furthermore, if you are worried about attracting animals outside or live in an apartment, you can purchase several composting machines/buckets that fit right under your kitchen sink and do not smell.

Avoid “Wishful Recycling”:

Check items before you recycle them. Sometimes items labeled “recyclable” can only be processed at specialized facilities, and not available for recycling at your local municipal site. Conveniently, in Naples, Waste Management offers handy refrigerator magnets that help determine whether your product is recyclable locally.

When trying to live a more sustainable conscious existence, it can become very overwhelming. There are so many actions we could take, but they are not always realistic or affordable. Therefore, oftentimes people become discouraged in their attempt to be more eco-friendly. Ideally, these tips are small suggestions that, cumulatively, could have an incredible positive impact.

Earth Day is a powerful reminder of our obligation to respect the planet. Commitment to minor adjustments could evoke powerful, everlasting effects and dynamic change. Let us live in a way where our choices allow us to celebrate Earth Day every day.

Want to learn about more easy, sustainable practices?

Follow our Instagram: @helpsincerelytheearth

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Kathryn Norris,

Creator of Help. Sincerely, the Earth

helpsincerelytheearth@gmail.com

Senior at Gulf Coast High School, Class of 2022

Attended University of Florida, starting in Fall 2022

The post Earth-friendly Actions You Can Take Now appeared first on SWFL Family.

And so, for families just starting out and looking to reduce environmental impact and raise their children to care for the planet, the plethora of advice online and from friends can feel like so much. But there are some very easy ways to begin, and as we know better and learn more, we tend to do better. Every small change makes a difference on so many levels. Often, when we opt for more environmentally friendly products and practices, we help both the environment and our health and well-being. Many of these practices also help our consumption levels, which, in turn, helps our budgets. Eco-friendly living doesn’t equate to spending more – rather, it typically equates to spending less.

Where to begin

Any small practice makes a difference. Here are a few ways to reduce environmental impact, support your family’s home environment and health, and even save a few dollars while you’re at it!

1. Bring reusable grocery bags to the store. “It’s an easy habit to adopt, and our house seems to collect reusable bags—whether from parades, the bank, random birthday parties, etc. They seem to arrive at our house in droves,” said Ashley McLean. Many single-use plastics, such as grocery bags, aren’t actually recyclable, and recycling relies on nonrenewable resources for transportation and reproduction into other products. 
2. Stop buying bottled water. Instead, purchase a water filter or filtration system. Yes, many homes in SWFL have disgusting-tasting tap water. It’s better for the environment and your budget to buy a high quality water filter instead of bottled water. 
3. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables. “Our family shops at farmers markets and favors local produce rather than relying on packaged products,” said Brandi Kermundu. “Making food becomes fun and easy the more you do it!  We want to support local farmers who are growing food responsibly in Southwest Florida. Rather than buying processed food that’s grown, shipped, and produced in many different places, we try to make our own snacks and meals from food grown here. It’s healthier and cheaper to eat this way.”
4. Shop at secondhand stores. We have so many options for secondhand stores, and we even have shops that cater specifically to children’s products and clothing, such as Once Upon a Child and Twinkle Twinkle Little Store. Rather than supporting manufacturers who use nonrenewable resources producing clothing, housewares, and supplies, we can support nonprofit organizations such as Avow and St. Matthew’s House. We can help make fast fashion a thing of the past. Many overseas manufactures in the clothing industry exploit workers producing pieces that don’t last in an effort to sell as much as possible. And, in the end, even though you may donate clothing to thrift shops, so much of it actually gets thrown away. So, seek out secondhand. “Thrifting can expand and amplify your style,” explained Shannon Brady of Night Bloom Vintage. “It can be super daunting to start, but begin with one thrift store. Since you never know what you’re going to find, really cover your ground and hit every section. I’ve found a lot of my favorite shirts and sweaters in the men’s sections. Trying things on is worth it.” For Brady, thrifting also means saving money. “You can save a lot of money purchasing housewares at thrift stores instead of buying new. It’s also about the thrill of the hunt. Thrifting is modern-day treasure hunting.”
5. Buy reusable cleaning cloths and food containers. Paper towels, sandwich bags, and other household items are produced and shipped to stores using nonrenewable resources. Buy quality cloths and containers once and keep reusing them.
6. Buy local honey – and use it! Sweeten foods and baked goods with local honey. Briesa Ruby (together with her husband and three children) of Rubee’s Raw Florida Honey is one such local beekeeper. “Aside from the health benefits associated with consuming raw, local honey, purchasing products from local beekeepers instead of chain stores supports the beekeeper, which in turn supports the bees,” Ruby explained. “When you purchase honey from a chain store, you are supporting a honey packaging house that has most likely purchased wholesale honey from another country. Bees are an essential part of our local ecosystem, and buying local honey reduces families’ reliance on sugar and sugar-filled products.”
7. Purchase native and native-friendly plants and trees. Rather than relying on water and fertilizer to support plants and grasses that have a difficult time growing in Florida, support the local ecosystem by planting native trees and bushes. You won’t have to spend as much on water and fertilizer for your yard, and many of these plants don’t need as much maintenance. Additionally, runoff from your yard won’t impact waterways. Nurseries like Good Roots in Estero offer a variety of these types of plants, plus advice on growing techniques.
8. Become an informed voter at the state level. Legislation regulates Lake Okeechobee discharge, which impacts Florida’s waterways and, in turn, the Everglades. Runoff from sugar cane fields – and, in turn, scheduled discharges – impacts our coastline, fisheries, ecosystems, and local economy. To find out more, visit the Conservancy of Southwest Florida at https://conservancy.org, Vote Water at https://votewater.org, or 239 Flies Inc. at https://239flies.com. 

“In the end, less is more,” reiterated McLean. “It is overwhelming. It doesn’t happen all at once, and that’s okay! But, every decision makes a difference on so many levels. When you run out of something or need something, that’s when you have the opportunity to make an informed decision. It’s an exciting way to live.”

Happy Earth Day!

The post Want to Help the Planet? Here are 8 Easy Changes to Make! appeared first on SWFL Family.

“Collier County is working hard to exceed the state’s 75% recycling goal by 2020, and every little bit counts,” said Margie Hapke, public information coordinator for Collier County. “When families recycle correctly, they contribute to our goal of increasing recycling rates. When they recycle incorrectly, it is a missed op-portunity to capture those recyclables toward the county’s recycling rates.” Not only does incorrect recycling increase waste, it costs an enormous amount of money. Moreover, this type of contamination negates the efforts of families who recycle correctly. According to Dawn McCormick, director of communications in Florida for Waste Management, “When families place non-recyclables in curbside recycling containers, those items slow down machinery and contaminate the good recyclables. Employees must climb down and clear machinery. In the last several years, we have seen a 25-30% increase in recycling rates due to larger carts, which is positive. However, we really need to get back to cleaner recycling.”

“Once recycling has been collected curbside in Collier County, it’s put in semi-tractor trailers and taken to Waste Management’s Reuter Recycling Center in Pembroke Pines for processing,” said Hapke. “A visual inspection is made of each load. A load that is determined to contain more than 20% contamination can be rejected from the plant. Those materials then must be taken to a landfill and treated as municipal solid waste (i.e., buried like regular garbage). When that happens, not only are the recyclable materials lost, it costs the company in terms of having to pay tipping fees at the landfill. In addition, the efforts of the people who recycle correctly are wasted because others are careless or confused about what is and isn’t recyclable.”

Plastics

Plastic shopping bags and film plastic (things like bread bags, sandwich bags, etc.) should not be placed in the recycling cart. Local grocery stores and some big box stores offer plastic bag recycling. Recycling the single use plastic shopping bags through these programs is much more efficient.

Plastic air pillows used for packaging are made from plastic film and are not recyclable in our curbside program, so they should not be placed in recycling carts. Plastic packaging material can be reused or donated to local packaging stores for reuse. No plastic bags or any kind of plastic film – even if it has the recycle symbol on it – should be placed in recycling carts.

Bottles and Caps

Plastic water bottles, along with their caps, are indeed recyclable. Additionally, plastic laundry detergent bottles, along with plastic soap and household product bottles – and their lids – are recyclable. Glass jars and bottles are recyclable, but only if the jar is cleaned out completely. Glass jars should be rinsed or wiped out before placing in recycling cart. If a jar isn’t cleaned out completely, it will contaminate the whole bin. The metal lids on glass jars ARE recyclable, as long as they are clean and dry.

Cardboard and Paper

Pizza boxes are not recyclable, unless they are completely clean and free from grease (which they usually are not). For cardboard boxes that contain a mixture of cardboard and plastic you must remove the plastic and then place the cardboard in the curbside cart. 

Mixed paper like junk mail, magazines, envelopes, Post-It notes, and other paper products can be placed in your recycling container. Used paper towels, napkins, and tissues are not accepted in your recycling container. Envelopes with plastic windows may be placed in recycling carts. 

When it comes to wrapping paper and tissue paper: Only clean, dry paper is accepted in your recycling cart; no foil or flocked wrapping paper is allowed. Tissue wrapping paper is acceptable.

Styrofoam

Styrofoam coffee cups and Styrofoam packaging material are NOT recyclable. However, the county encourages residents to recycle certain Styrofoam. Confused yet? Collier County’s recycling program allows the recycling of the foam trays that meat and vegetables are packaged on (remove and throw away the clear plastic shrink wrap) and egg cartons only. Styrofoam cups, plates, carry-out food clam shells, and packaging materials are not accepted.

Batteries

Don’t try to recycle batteries in your curbside cart! Rather, Collier County accepts all batteries at county Recycling Drop-Off Centers. The best, most effective way to recycle is to only recycle items you are SURE about. Otherwise, you risk contamination of your bin and other’s clean recyclables, which actually hurts the environment and uses unnecessary resources. Don’t engage in wish-cycling. When in doubt, throw it out! 

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