10 Wonderful Ways To Go Green

Kids love to feel like they are helping. If you are looking for ways to engage with your children and have them help protect our planet, here are 10 simple things they can take on right now. Small steps lead to big changes.

1. Save seeds from the self-pollinating vegetables you eat such as peppers, tomatoes, beans, and peas. Then use them to plant a vegetable garden. For more information, visit kidsgardening.org.

2. Take showers instead of baths—you will use less water. Also, try to take shorter showers to reduce water use. Bonus: It will help lower water and heating bills.

3. Have kids volunteer to take part in a beach, river, waterway, or park clean-up.

4. Shop for green cleaning products, which are better for the environment and your family; explain why to your kids. Or, better yet, look up recipes and make your own natural cleaning products.

5. Instead of buying bottled water, use a water filter to purify tap water. Bottled water is expensive and creates lots of waste.

6. If you are not already, use a reusable water bottle—aluminum, not plastic. We like this one from Contigo for keeping water cool all day long!

7. Get paid to recycle printer cartridges. Log onto empties4cash.com for more information and help your school get involved.

8. Collect your food scraps, vegetable trimmings, and coffee grinds at home and turn them into compost in your own yard or rooftop garden. By the time spring comes, you’ll have fresh fertilizer for plants. For composting basics, visit howtocompost.org.

9. Be mindful of turning items off when not in use. This includes faucets (while brushing teeth!), lights, and all electrical devices—even computers and chargers. Remember, a little everywhere adds up.

10. Before your children toss something out (clothes, toys, books), see if there are any possible ways to reuse, or ask if someone they know can utilize it. If not, consider donating to a shelter, charitable organization, or consignment store.

At Cater To You, we care about our planet and respect the resources it provides. Many of our cafes recycle, serve only on china and silverware, feature local produce, compost, and maintain their own sustainability initiatives. We enjoy partnering with our schools to initiate programs (such as waste awareness), in an effort to effect positive, lasting change.