There are a great deal of pressing, man-made problems facing our planet today - excessive rubbish, harmful pollution, and climate change, to name only a few. And yet, the Earth remains a vast and glorious place just waiting to be explored. If we want to keep our beautiful planet, it’s important that we all do our part, no matter how small, and teaching our kids to go green could make all the difference for their futures and the future of this planet.

With this in mind, we’ve put together 8 simple steps that will help you and your kids to go green.

8 easy steps you and your kids can take:

Be sure to explain the environmental benefits of each and every step to your child. This is important - for them to be motivated to continue making eco-friendly actions, they must understand how and why they are making a difference.

Turn off lights

When leaving or passing an empty room, encourage your children to turn off all lights. Not only will turning the lights off reduce carbon emissions and other harmful greenhouse gasses, but it will save you money by reducing your electricity bill and extending the lives of your light bulbs.

Unplug unused appliances

Similarly, teaching your children to turn off plug sockets when the appliances aren’t in use can help you to save money. This increases the life expectancy of your appliances and is great for the environment because it reduces the demand for fuel from power stations. Bear in mind that young children shouldn’t be touching or using plug sockets without supervision.

Save water

When you and your kids come to use water, try to keep the flow pencil-thin and turn off the water whilst rubbing in soap or brushing teeth, to avoid being wasteful.

Reduce

Pay attention to your child’s general eating habits and provide them with the appropriate portions to cut down on waste. If you do have leftovers, pack them up and save them for another day. Likewise, opt for foods with minimal packaging to reduce any unnecessary waste.

Reuse

Buy reusable items wherever possible, and avoid products such as styrofoam and single-use plastic cups that do not decompose. If you’re going for a picnic, choose reusable plastic plates and cutlery or recycle your paper plates.

Recycle

Recycle as much as possible! From glass, plastic and paper, to wood, fabric, and metal, these days, all sorts of things can be recycled. So why not make a game of discovering which waste items can and can’t be recycled? You could even go one step further and find out how different products are recycled. Remember, some materials can only be recycled in certain locations, so always make sure to check!

Give items away

Instead of creating more waste for the landfill, encourage your child to put aside those clothes that no longer fit and the toys they’ve come to neglect, and donate them to clothes banks and charity shops. This encourages them to think of others, teaches them the joys of sharing, and reduces waste.

Grow your own fruit and veg

Planting your own fruit and veg makes for a fantastic opportunity to teach your children about going green! By recycling garden waste for compost, sparingly using water, and explaining the importance of reusing and saving resources, there’s really nothing better than gardening when it comes to teaching your kids to care for the environment.

Fun Fact: By recycling a single glass bottle, you could save enough energy to power a light bulb for four whole hours!

Top Tip: Wherever possible, from clothes to food, toys to appliances, buy your family products locally. The closer to home these products are bought and made, the less carbon is created during their transportation.

How can I teach my children to go green?

Unii has some low-effort ideas.