Summer O' Fun

It's just about the time that children are getting released from classes and summer will really begin. I've recently heard so many mama's saying.. "what will we do with them?" Could I provide some green ideas?



1. Plant a garden - My son loves to play farmer. This is win, win because not only will they have a chance to dig and get dirty but then you'll reap the reward of fresh and chemical free fruits and veggies. My children are convinced that the fruit & veggie they grow taste significantly better then any we could buy .. even from a local farm.
2. Adopt a local roadway- I get that depending on your childs age this might not be the best idea but if you can feel confident that there will be no run away children what could be better then putting on some work gear and cleaning up our planet? Allow them to really get into it and put on all the safety gear (yellow vest, safety glasses, gloves, heck even a hard hat). This will have a real, immediate impact and they will get the chance to burn some energy. Don't forget the sunscreen.
3. Visit/Have a yard sale- If you are in need of some new summer digs or toys where better to visit then a yardsale. You won't break the bank and you can help keep items out of a landfill .. reuse. Likewise, if you need to make room for the new summer arrivals why not have a yardsale of your own. Make a little extra cash and spark that entrepreneurial spirit in your little ones. Declutter and avoid trashing things that might be treasure to somoene else.
4. Picnic lunch/hike- Take time to allow the littleones (and big ones too, of course)  to enjoy our planet.
5. Visit a local farm- The level of difficultly on this one can vary greatly. Some of us are situated next to a number of farms and others.. well, not so much. I think it's a great idea to show children how we get food, it helps to link the idea of taking care of our planet and the direct effect it will have on us. You might want to scope the farm out first just to be sure that they treat their animals and growing the way you'd be happy sharing with your children (just to avoid any awkward situations or conversations).

I'm sure there are a ton more things out there that I haven't thought of.. any suggestions you'd like to add, I'd love to hear them!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Confusion

Image
The recycling markets have been in the spotlight lately for being in a tough spot and that's good because they are. Fuel & oil prices as well as the state of foreign markets play a large role in the current state of recycling and material recovery facilities but the single largest obstacle that MRF's battle every day is contamination. The best part about this is that unlike fuel prices and foreign markets the people recycling have a direct hand in this and can change it. I think for the most part, we are all pretty bright people who have come to understand that recycling is important for the future of our planet yet the results are still so ugly, why?? Recycling is confusing! It's not so much that the process itself is all that complex but there are just so many variables. 1. The numbers on the bottom of the bottles aren't always a true indicator of what the bottle is made of (at least completely). There is no real "ruling body" that sets regula...
Read more

True Green

It's a fad. I mean, it's so very helpful for my job but really green has become a fad. Celebrities are driving Prius's and talking about their carbon footprint. It's a good fad because no one is hurt and only our planet gains.. or not? I've said so many times that education is the first step to getting recycling to catch on and become second nature. Miseducation on the other hand makes us take giant leaps back. So many companies are cashing in on the eco fad and are green washing us to death. Now it is so much more difficult to determine what's really "green" and what is a company trying to persuade us to buy the same old product wrapped in a green package. It takes a very detail oriented person with extra time to be sure that the product you specifically bought because it was a bit healthier for the planet and your family is in fact just that. Unfortunately for most of us, time is not something we have a lot extra of.  A friend recently informed m...
Read more

No mixed feelings here.

Image
https://wasteadvantagemag.com/mixed-feelings-on-mixed-waste-still/ This article in Waste Advantage Magazine discusses the idea of single bin collection (not to be confused with single stream collection). Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably they are vastly different (pay attention to context) and ask for clarification. Single bins collection means that all materials that are leaving your home or business (garbage & recycling) will go in the same single bin. These mixed up, highly contaminated materials will go to what is known as a dirty MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) and the staff will be tasked with first sorting out food waste, dirty diapers, feminine products, coffee grinds, and lots of other highly unappealing items from the "recycling". After they've raked out whatever garbage they can they will attempt to salvage  "clean" recyclable items. Sorters will try to sort the paper, bottles, cans, & glass that remain so it might...
Read more