ECO FAMILY FUN: GREEN TIPS FOR ENJOYING THE SUMMER!
Guest post by The Splash
As summertime arrives, it’s time to head outdoors with the family! The kids are out of school and you may be able to enjoy a break from work. Even if it only involves weekend fun, outdoors is where it’s at, and it can be turned into the perfect opportunity to add a little more green to your life with eco-friendly adventures and fun.
Outdoor Activities
Keep the kids busy and maintain a good exercise regimen by making the most of the outdoors. Use this summer to enjoy nature and be reminded why it is so important to take care of it.
Here are some fun ideas that avoid motorised activities, or otherwise work against nature:
- Hiking and biking trails
- Camping
- Kayaking and surfboarding
- Swimming and walking at the beach, lake, or river
- Mountain climbing
- Hang-gliding
While out and about, point out different plant species to children and explain about food chains using animals in the vicinity to explain your point. Discuss landfill, preservation and recycling too .
Eco Holidays:
Spend your summer holiday as eco-friendly as possible. More countries and cities are recognising the value of offering eco holidays that leave a minimal carbon footprint, including green hotels and green transport. These types of holidays are also often educational as well to help you understand the environment and how we can be more delicate about living and working around nature and our critical eco-system.
Environmental Assistance:
There are many ways to work as a family to help the great outdoors, including replanting trees or working as part of a group that cleans up the beaches or forests of trash and remnants of other human activity. There are many events that are planned each month that the entire family can do together that is eco-friendly, fun, and fulfilling.
Why not start in your own garden? Plant creepy-crawling friendly plants (such as lavender to attract bees and butterflies) or find somewhere to create a neighbourhood plot in the community.
Green Summer Camp:
Summer camps are HUGE in the USA and many now recognise the importance of going green. They will teach children to understand why they should think more carefully about the world around them. The camps themselves are often designed with green elements, including solar energy and other low-energy components. The activities are also designed to be environmentally friendly, providing an additional educational aspect to summer camp while still being a lot of fun.
Barbecue:
Barbequing feels like you’re getting “back to nature”, as you’re turning your back on hefty appliances and electricity. While it may feel like a greener alternative to turning on the oven or cook top, you may be surprised to learn that it may not be as green as you think, especially if you use charcoal briquette!
If you DO choose to BBQ, it is better to opt for propane gas for a lower impact on the environment. Though, there are some briquettes that are coming to market that allow you to enjoy the goodness of more natural cooking without worrying about emissions.
Be sure to serve that delicious grilled meal on recyclable plates or compostable plates. If you want to use plastic utensils, save them to use again by washing them up. Of course, you will also want to opt for locally sourced food for your meal or maybe even pull some of the ingredients from your own vegetable patch or herb garden!
BYLINE:
This guide was written on behalf of The Splash online magazine, which is crammed full of green cleaning articles for all the family.