Green Living Tips For Parents: How To Develop A Sustainable Lifestyle

World Earth Day is fast approaching, as citizens grow increasingly keen to commit to an eco-friendly and more sustainable way of life. It is important to remember that safeguarding our natural environment must be a long-term goal, however, and cannot be achieved over the course of a single day alone.
The current generation of new parents are increasingly keen to adopt a more eco-friendly approach, primarily because they are hopeful of setting a positive example for their children to follow. By educating their infants on the importance of recycling and utilising natural resources, they can help to create a future generous of environmentally responsible adults.

Green Living Tips For New Parents

With this in mind, what practical steps can new parents take to create an environmentally conscious lifestyle that is sustainable for a prolonged period of time? Consider the following: -

Consider The Merits Of Breastfeeding

While breastfeeding is not always an option, in instances where it is it offers considerable benefits to parents. Although it is fair to suggest that breastfeeding remains a relatively controversial topic for discussion, it does deliver environmental advantages to parents who are seeking a more sustainable way of life. In essence, it enables families to eliminate a huge amount of waste in the form of formula containers, bags and bottles, without forcing mothers to compromise on the quality and variety of the nutrients that their child receives. On an additional note, breastfeeding will also reduce the number of trips required to the local store, which in turn cuts mileage and enables families to save on transportation costs.

Focus On Making Homemade Food And Utilising Natural Produce

If you have the spare time or are able to create a window in your schedule, preparing homemade baby food for your child can serve as an excellent way of contributing towards a healthier environment. Not only does it save you considerable sums of money, but it also means that you are investing in minimal packaging while reducing the cumulative amount of food that you waste over time. Pre-packaged and ready-made food items are renowned for the amount of food miles that they carry, and by purchasing these you are contributing to practices that are harmful to the environment. If you still require convincing, you should consider the fact that preparing homemade food enables you to take charge of quality control and the nutrients that you are supplying to your child.

Use Natural Cleaning Products In The Home

Children make a considerable mess within the home, and every parent will testify to the need for a rigid and stringent cleaning regime. The use of toxic cleaning products can not only harm your child's welfare, however, but it also has a negative and detrimental effect on the natural environment. With this in mind, you should commit to using natural, organic and eco-friendly cleaning products wherever possible, while also utilising recycled materials to scour floor and wall surfaces. As a starting point, you should look to use natural products within the home that have in-built cleaning agents, such as vinegar, baking soda and lemons.

The Last Word For Eco-Friendly Parents

As a new parent, it is only natural that you should look to provide the best possible environment for your child. This goal can be at least partially achieved by adopting a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle, which will encourage you to invest in organic food, natural cleaning products and toxin-free skincare tools. This therefore provides an ideal set of circumstances for parents, who can optimise their child's physical welfare while also taking steps to create a healthier and more prosperous natural environment.

Green Ways to Heat Your Home

With heating oil prices constantly on the rise over the past several months, many people have started looking for alternative ways to heat their homes, but most end up coming right back to what they started with. Avoid becoming one of the many who gets stuck using home heating oil, and do your part to help out the environment at the same time with these suggestions for heating your home the green way.

Use Your Fireplace

Perhaps one of the most obvious ways to steer clear of heating costs but still heat your home is to use your fireplace or a wood stove more often than you currently do. While some may argue that it's not exactly a "green" heating alternative because of the amount of wood each device requires for burning, it's actually not so bad.
There are logs out there that you can purchase specially that are meant to burn longer than regular wood. There are also synthetic logs on the market that still burn longer than their natural counterparts. And by using a fireplace or wood stove, you're dramatically reducing your energy costs, thereby saving the environment from enormous greenhouse gas emissions.

Invest in a Pellet Stove

Perhaps the most efficient way to heat your home aside from a traditional fireplace, as well as a more green answer than burning wood, is a pellet stove. Pellet stoves are generally inexpensive to install because they don't require any ventilation from a chimney, but they can be tricky to put in. They're newer than fireplaces and easier to keep running to use as a full-time heating source during colder months.
The Environmental Protection Agency names pellet stoves the most environmentally-friendly heating device because they burn cleanly. They actually pollute so little that they don't even require EPA certification for their emissions. They burn little compressed wood pellets that are cheaper to buy than firewood or even electricity.
A pellet stove does require some electricity, though, to keep the motor running to burn the pellets, but it's a tiny fraction of the cost of electric heaters.

EcoSmart Bio-Ethenol Fireplaces

These trendy new fireplaces burn bio-ethenol fuel instead of wood or gas, making them incredibly eco-friendly. Plus, they're so new and modern that they make an awesome aesthetic addition to any home.
EcoSmart fireplaces can either be built into an existing fireplace so it looks like a real fireplace, or they can be free-standing so you can do as you please with them. They're a great alternative way to heat your home because they do produce real, warm flames - just without the harmful emissions. The bio-ethenol that they do burn is a completely renewable and sustainable resource.

Fill in the Cracks

If you feel any drafts coming into your home while it's cold, make a point of filling in the spaces where the cold air comes in. This is easily accomplished by stuffing blankets or (safe) insulation into the cracks.
You can also cover your windows with plastic that keeps the cold air out. It may look a little strange, but all you need are some good, decorative curtains that take attention away from the plastic. And speaking of curtains, buy a set that's thermal to trap the heat inside and help keep the cold out. You'll be able to manage the heat in your home much better if you try just these simple changes.

Cuddle Up

The easiest way to stay warm during the cold months - cuddle up under a nice comfy blanket! Better yet, get a buddy or a significant other to snuggle up next to and share some body heat. Pets also make wonderful natural heaters, so get close!