Party Favors for the Planet
My son recently turned two, and we didn’t have a big party- just a small party with family on the beach. As the date of his birthday approached, I started thinking about kids party favors. While fun, they can be incredibly wasteful. Favors are typically packaged in single-use bags containing small, cheaply made, plastic (and probably toxic) toys. These toys bring instant excitement (but maybe dread from parents), and a short life before breaking or being donated, where they will most likely end up in landfills. I always appreciate the generosity on the parents’ part for taking the time (and money) to give out party bags, but it seems unnecessary.…
Completely Compostable: 10 Every Day Items You Can Compost
If you’re like me, you may cringe a little every time you see a banana peel in the trash. Composting food scraps and waste like peels turns every day waste into rich, nutritious material ideal for plant growth, whereas throwing food scraps in the trash ensures that it goes to landfills, where rotting food emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gases. Composting can reduce waste and help alleviate climate change. What other times can be composted? Here is a list of every day items that are compost-friendly. Some may even surprise you! Composting is easy and so rewarding. You can either compost in your backyard with an at home composter, or…
Earth Month Activities for Kids of all Ages!
Earth Day has come and gone but Earth month continues (and to be honest- shouldn’t Earth Day be every day?). One of the best things we can do to celebrate Earth month is inspire future generations to take care of our planet. Educating our littles is crucial, since the future of the Earth is in their hands. Here are several ideas to get started: 1. Read an Earth Day book There are tons of good children’s resources out there, including books. Here is a list of Earth Day books I highly recommend! 2. Teach your child about composting Food scraps are organic and biodegradable, but food scraps that we put…
Smash it, Don’t Trash It: How to Thoughtfully Discard your Pumpkins
Ah, November. It’s here and for me it’s a bit of a let down because I love Halloween so much. It’s time to take down the spooky decorations and figure out what to do with those pumpkins. Whatever you do, don’t throw your pumpkins in the trash! Every year, about 900,000 tons of pumpkin produced will be put in the trash instead of eaten or composted. This is problematic for a couple reasons: It adds to the billions of tons of annual food waste produced globally. Fruits and vegetables actually are the most wasted of all foods, even though they’re the easiest to compost! Additionally, pumpkins that end up in…
Planting Seeds of Change with Earth Day Books
One of the most rewarding ways to celebrate Earth Day is by educating others. As the effects of climate change become more evident each day, more and more authors and illustrators have come to action and created beautiful books to teach the youth about the importance of protecting our planet. We know it’s future generations that will be most affected. Enjoy this list of 14 picture books that are as diverse as our planet. Many of these I use in my own classroom. I have included websites to order these books, but I encourage you to contact your local bookstores first. During this uncertain time it’s so important for us…
