10 actions to fight climate change at home, including product solutions, meal ideas, and ways to raise awareness.

Small changes were making at home to pitch in to save the planet

Small efforts add up to big change. here are ten ways to fight climate change at home. #climatechange #earthday #climateaction #getoutside

Litterless lunches, of course. Right around the time school started back after summer we made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I asked Rosie if she’d like to take one in her lunch. She says yes, then: “Wait a minute, do these have litter in them?” Read my article with practical advice on taking litter out of lunch.
Banned baggies. And saran wrap. I am still working through the same regular-sized roll I bought four months ago. We haven’t missed the sandwich bags at all. There’s always a container that will do the job. We also have a couple fabric pouches. I will confess we do buy the large freezer ziploc bags from time to time. Frankly they just do trick sometimes, if I have large batches of meat or soup to freeze, or items I want to bundle together on the go. We wash and reuse them as many times as we can. This is not about being perfect. It’s about making an effort.
Meatless meals. We have regular meatless meals on our roster and strive to plan a few each week. Spaghetti and other pasta dishes, homemade pizza, vegetarian buddha bowls, and lots of soups (remember when I blogged a bunch about soup?).
Reusable grocery bags. I made an arbitrary rule. If we forget to bring them, the punishment is to buy more bags. I only made this mistake once or twice and now I remember I’d rather use that money for a Chai Tea latte - in my travel mug ;)
Silicone Popsicle/Yogurt tubes. A friend handed down a bunch of reusable silicone tubes her children had outgrown using. They are great for making popsicles, or taking smoothies, yogurt or any food, really, on the go. Anna’s friend requested she wanted one too, so we spread the love and gave her a couple of them. See! Change is contagious. Read how we’ve been inspired by climate activism in our house and where it’s leading us.
Why shouldn’t you give Elsa a balloon? ’Cause she’ll let it go! And that’s what I’ve done. No more balloons for birthdays. They’re bad for the environment. They’re dangerous for animals that may end up swallowing them. They’re super wasteful since they just get tossed not long after you get them. Plus my kids drive me crazy playing with them all over the house. They fight over them too. There are other creative ways to decorate, with paper lanterns or tissue paper flowers, that frankly are prettier and I can easily save them for the next celebration.
Raising awareness. We talk about the environment and how different things are good for it and bad for it. We have books like The Earth Book by Todd Parr and Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell, Me, Jane, also by Patrick McDonnell and I am Jane Goodall by Brad Meltzer. The girls share a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine. We’ve learned about Greta Thunberg and her #schoolstrike4climate (and attended a march here in Halifax). We enjoy watching Disney Nature movies (Growing up Wild is the most recent watch) and shows like Wild Kratts.
Cleaner cleaning. I made the switch to Norwex. The products help reduce waste and chemical use, both of which challenge our health and the environment. Their special microfibre system helps eliminate the need for paper towels and chemical laden cleaners and significantly reduces the use of costly cleaning products that you need to replace over and over. It’s helped decrease the time I spend cleaning, and reduces exposure to toxic fumes and harmful chemicals. By reducing paper towel use and landfill contributions, I’m helping preserve the environment. This is not an ad or partnership or paid endorsement, I just love these products. If you’re interested, hit up my girl Bethany! https://bethanyjost.norwex.biz/en_CA/customer/shop
Metal straws. On World Oceans Day a couple years back I brought the girls to an event at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. To their excitement, a giant panda bear gave us metal straws and I haven’t bought a plastic straw since! I need to get better at bringing them along when we’re out (I think a second set in a pouch to live in my bag is the way) but honestly, I find we don’t often have a need for straws and decline them when we can. Many places now use paper straws too. We even put metal straws in the loot bags at Rosie’s birthday party when she turned four.
The great outdoors. Most importantly we love exploring and enjoying the great outdoors. We try to get out every weekend on some kind of hike or walk, discovering new trails or hitting up old favourites. We love camping in the summer, and being in the woods, on the beach, or at the park year round. We’re trying to nurture a love of nature so we all appreciate and recognize what it is we’re fighting for.