One of the easiest yet biggest impact steps to you can take toward greener living is to ditch the paper and plastic shopping bags and shop with reusable bags instead. Anywhere from 500 billion to one trillion plastic shopping bags are consumed around the world each year and they end up in our landfills, along our highways, and in our oceans. They have become a big environmental problem. Environmental clean-up crews site plastic bags as one of the 12 most common items polluting our earth. Plastic bags are also responsible for the deaths of thousands of marine animals each year as sea turtles and whales that eat plastic bags after mistaking them for food.

Plastic bags are also made using a non renewable, highly polluting resource…petroleum. Using plastic bags diminishes the availability of our natural resources and damages the environment as petroleum is extracted from the planet. Plastic bags can usually only be reused one or two times and they are seldom recycled. They may be touted as the cheapest, most convenient solution for touting your goods and products but their environmental impact is quite costly. Green consumers everywhere are seeking to ditch the plastic and start a BYOB campaign, “Bring Your Own Bag”. It is actually pretty easy. Just start bringing your own bags whenever you go shopping.

Chances are you probably already have a good starter selection of reuseable bags in your home. Beach bags, backpacks, canvas bags, large purses, etc. can all be used to carry items home from a shopping expedition. If you don’t have very many bags you may have luck finding some at thrift stores and garage sales. You can also make your own with some sturdy fabric and thread. There are also dozens of online stores that carry reusable shopping bags in many of styles, colors, and material choices. You can buy bags made form sturdy canvas, stylish bamboo, or even recycled garbage. Some bags are made to be super compact so that they can be attached to a keychain, belt loop or backpack.

Major grocery stores and shopping chains are even encouraging customers to use resuable bags by offering them for purchase in their stores and by offering monetary discounts for each bag you use in their stores. Whole Foods and Ikea are two such stores that offer cash discounts and even Wal-Mart is selling them. They are so accessible and fashionable now that there are no excuses anymore NOT to use them.

One big reason why so many people still use plastic though is because they are free and they are given out by stores so you have no need to remember to bring your own bags. More and more cities and countries are beginning to impose bans or taxes on plastic bags to reduce their consumption so there is no time like the present to break your plastic bag habit. Reusable bags can easily be stored in your car trunk or glove compartment so that you always have some on hand. Attaching a compact bag to your purse will remind you to have your bags ready for shopping trips and soon it will be habit. Now you can visit a grocery store, department store, mall, or even a roadside market and be prepared to use your own bags.

During warmer months it is easy to send kids outdoors for some fun in the sun and fresh air. Bike riding, tree climbing, soccer, hopscotch, and dozens of other outdoor activities provide children with hours upon hours of creative play that is healthy for their bodies and mind. Less than favorable weather such as rain and extreme cold may present a problem at times though and moms need to get creative in helping their kids to find productive play activities. In an age where video games and TV can easily become too important in a child’s life, many parents are reluctant to encourage these things. Luckily there are many alternatives for parents that want to stress productive and creative play.

Help Them Make Believe

Pretend play is particularly important for a young child’s development. It helps them to develop their critical thinking and communication abilities. The great outdoors provides a grand stage for this type of play but parents can facilitate make believe any time with just a few clever props. A box of costumes can create hours of pretend play fun as your kids pretend they are pirates, fairies, knights, or even characters from their favorite movies and books. Homemade forts also provide an excellent opportunity for kids to imagine they are playing in a log cabin, a castle, or a tent. A simple sheet draped over a table can provide hours of fun and creative play.

Creative Toys

Instead of toys with lights, sounds, and movement give your children some basic toys that they can use to build and create. Legos and wooden blocks are usually very popular among kids as they can spend hours creating virtually anything they can come up with. Take some pictures of their creations and help them create a photo journal to record all of their inventions and accomplishments as mini architects.

Play kitchens and play food can also provide hours of creative play as kids pretend to cook their favorite meals and serve their family. Even an item as simple as a playsilk can be used as a flag, as part of a costume, as a sail on a boat, or a doll sling or hammock. Give them the raw materials and watch them create!

Books for Homegrown Adventure

For younger and older kids it is great fun to read a book aloud and ask them to re-enact it in a play or with puppets. They can build the set, create the costumes, and then act out the part of their favorite character. If you have a video camera handy you or an older child can record these performances to let them view later and to create memories that the whole family will treasure for years.

For children that insist on TV time perhaps you can strike a deal asking them to select a movie that originated from a book and then after they read it you can all watch the movie together and discuss how the book and movie compared.
These are just a few of the ways that parents can encourage creative and productive play and leisure within their children.

Recycling is one of the easiest steps toward green living. By teaching your children what things can be recycled, they can help sort things. If you live near a recycling center, your family might even take a tour and see how it works.  When shopping, you can turn it into a game of “I spy” by trying to find the three arrow symbol on a product that shows it’s made from recycled materials. 

Reducing is another important step in learning to live green.  Most families use more water and electricity than they realize.  Remembering to turn off electronic items and lights when they aren’t in use is one of the easiest things to do.  Have the kids go around the house and see who can find the most number of things that are on that don’t have to be. 

Water is another area most families can reduce usage.  Make a usage chart and keep track of how many times a day people use water: drinking, showers, flushing, watching clothes or dishes.  Try to see how much each activity uses and find ways to use less water.  Shortening showers and adjusting the toilet tank are only a couple ways to save water.

Take a walk or bike ride with your family.  See if you can spot ways that people are either saving or wasting resources in your neighborhood.  By not driving, it reinforces using alternate means of transportation, which not only saves gasoline, but also reduces air polution.

Reusing is another way to help your family start living green.  On Earth Day, why not plant a garden and start a mulch pile?  Even if you don’t have a large yard, you can clear a small corner and plant a few tomatoes or cucumbers.  By starting a mulch pile, you can show how nature can replenish itself by reusing organic materials.  You also have the pleasure of raising vegetables, which are a healthy alternative to other snacks that your kids might pick.

Earth Day makes the perfect time to start teaching new earth-friendly habits.  By putting the green ideas into practice now when they are young, they will be more likely to continue as they get older.