Environmental Habits for Kids
Environmental habits are things that we do in our daily lives that promote a healthier planet. This is also called "living lightly" because we are living lightly off of the Earth. This means using less energy and materials from the Earth than we need.
The quality of our air, land, water and our planet depends on our daily habits. If these daily habits are practiced while we are young, they will be carried into our adult lives.
Even though living lightly can essentially be broken down into two categories (less energy and less materials) it is easier to think of in terms of our daily habits. Here are some ways you can live lightly.
Remember small things have big impacts!
| Water: |
| 1. Try to limit your shower time to five minutes or less. Every minute in the shower uses five gallons of water. This means for a five-minute shower a total of twenty-five gallons of water is used. |
| 2. Ask your parents to install a low flow showerhead. This reduces water flow to two and a half gallons of water per minute. This is half the amount of a regular showerhead. |
3. While brushing your teeth, turn the water off. |
| 4. Wait until the dishwasher is full to run it. |
| 5. Put a brick in your toilet tank. The brick will take up space in your toilet tank reducing water use by one to two gallons every time you flush. |
| Energy: |
| 1. Know what you want from the refrigerator before you open it. |
| 2.Turn the television and other appliances off when not in use. |
3. When you're not using the lights, turn them off. Also, if you're the last one to leave a room, turn the lights off. |
| 4. Take advantage of natural light when indoors. On a bright and sunny day, use the sun's light instead of turning on the lights. |
| 5. Ask your parents to use energy saving light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 1/4 of the energy from an incandscent bulb and lasts ten times as long. |
| Materials: |
| 1. Ask your family to begin recycling at home. Some items to recycle include: newspapers, plastic bottles, glass bottles and tin cans. |
| 2. Start a recycling program at school. |
3. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels. |
| 4. Use reusable containers for food. They can be washed and reused. |
| 5. Ask your parents to use energy saving light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 1/4 of the energy from an incandscent bulb and lasts ten times as long. |
| Transportation: |
| 1. If you're traveling a short distance, walk or bike to your destination. |
| 2. Encourage your parents to carpool. |
3. Use public transportation. Next time your family takes a vacation, consider taking the train to your destination. |
Express Yourselves: |
| 1. If you feel your school should have a recycling program, get teachers and parents involved. |
| 2. Encourage your parents to adpot environmental habits. Compliment them when they use these habits. |
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