4 Easy Ways To Become More Eco-Friendly As A Family

Focusing on becoming more eco-friendly as a family not only helps to reduce your impact on the environment, but it saves money, too! Getting your kids involved in this process will help to inspire the next generation to minimise their environmental impact and benefit the planet. This can be great for their personal growth, as they learn more about the world around them and grow a bigger appreciation for caring for their environment at a young age.

In this guide, we will highlight four simple things you can do to become more eco-friendly as a family, so your children can continue this as they grow older. Continue reading to learn more.

Explore Your Local Area and Rely Less on Your Car

When it gets to the weekend and we have kids to entertain, often the go-to is to jump in the car, drive to an attraction and get takeaway food whilst out. Keeping kids busy over summer and weekends can not only be expensive, but it uses a lot of petrol and disposable waste. So, perhaps try to limit a day out like that to once a month and instead, explore your local area more! Keep the car keys at home and plan things closer that you can walk to or get public transport to, for example: 

• Go on a scavenger hunt around your local area or countryside, taking a picnic to enjoy in a new spot along the way 
• Walk to your local swimming baths and enjoy as a family 
• Hire bikes and explore local routes
• Walk to your local shop, buy ingredients and bake together
• Use public transport to get to a local library or museum 
• Plan some wholesome craft activities, like painting in the garden 

There are so many directions to go down, and often without the really intense entertainment that can come with a big day out, you will find you’ll likely bond more as a family. 

Read: Britain’s Most Family-Friendly Places to Call Home

Eat More Veggie Meals

If you’re eating meat with every evening meal, it can take its toll on the environment. Not to mention, with the cost of food shopping getting more expensive, cutting out meat one or two evenings a week can also help you to save money. Here are some delicious veggie meals that the whole family will love: 

• Greek inspired halloumi flatbreads with tzatziki and chips
• Pumpkin mac and cheese
• Creamy satay noodles
• Veggie burgers and chips
• Homemade veggie pizzas

Change Your Washing Habits

Last but not least, you should look at changing your washing habits. If you’re doing multiple washes a week at a high temperature and using your dryer every time, you’ll be going through energy like there’s no tomorrow! Cut your electricity bill and environmental impact with these tricks.

Only change towels once or twice a week, as they take up a huge amount of space in the machine while making sure that they’re washed on 30 degrees to save energy. Wash items like jeans and jumpers less often, as they only need washing typically if you spill something or they smell! 

Getting a dehumidifier as a cheap alternative to drying clothes without relying on the dryer or radiator for everything. While these do take up energy, it’s proven to be a much more effective method to drying clothes.

Reduce Single-use Plastic in Your Home

Another fantastic way to become more eco-friendly as a family is to reduce single-use plastic in your home. Your recycling bins probably speak for themselves when it comes to this, so if you can reduce the amount of plastic that comes through your house easily, it can make a big difference! Here’s some inspiration for you on simple changes: 

• Get everybody a reusable water bottle as a stocking filler this Christmas
• Invest in reusable shopping bags that you can keep and use for years (and keep some in the hallway to easily grab on your way out) 
• Swap out cling film for reusable tupperware 
• Move away from traditional shampoo, conditioners and bodywash, and swap for bar versions which are cheaper and just as effective 
• Look for eco-friendly cleaning products online that come with a main container the first time then after that, you just order refills 

Final Thoughts

Making your family more eco-friendly doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul, as it’s more about consistent steps. It’s important to reduce car use, embracing veggie meals and swap out single-use plastics to lessen your environmental footprint and make your children aware of how it’s going to help the world become a better place. They will then grow an appreciation for a more sustainable lifestyle.
One extra tip is to swap your plastic milk bottles for local milk delivery that comes in reusable glass bottles. This gives a more sustainable way of enjoying your milk indulging, which is essential for developing your children’s bones as they grow.