Teaching Our Kids To Live Greener Lives

This post about teaching our kids to live greener lives has been brought to you by New Leaf Energy.  All opinions are mine.

When I was young, I couldn't have really cared less about the environment, sadly.  I was careless with my actions and I didn't really think about conserving water, recycling, etc.  Thankfully, I finally woke up and realized what my actions now were going to do to the Earth and how it would affect my children and grandchildren.  Over the past few years, especially, we have been doing all that we can to teach our boys ways to live greener lives, and take care of the Earth!

There are many ways to "go green," but here are some ways that we are trying to teach our kids about the importance of being kind to the Earth and environment!

1.  Gardening – We have a small garden in our backyard and it has proven to be such a great family activity.  The boys love everything from tilling the soil, to planting the seeds, and of course, harvesting the vegetables!

2.   Composting – Throwing scraps and other compostable items in a huge composter, turning it, and watching it turn into compost is pretty cool!!

3.  Recycling – From a very young age, the Captain learned from his grandparents what was recyclable.  Sadly, we don't have a good recycle option here, but we do try to recycle whenever possible.

4.  Taking care of the wildlife.  The boys absolutely love animals and bugs, and they are learning to take care of the wildlife and respect it in the natural habitat.

5.  Using reusable bags while grocery shopping:  My mother bought the Captain the "My Bag and Me!" book when he was younger, and it, along with us using our reusable bags, has taught the boys how important it is to avoid plastic bags whenever possible.

6.  Cloth diapering – Both boys have been cloth diapered and Baby Brother will be, as well.  It's important to us and a feasible option for us, so we do it!

7.  Turning off the lights/TV/electronics when not in use.

8.  Don't waste water.  This has got to be one of the hardest one for us to remember…especially when it's so much fun to play in the water, but we try!

9.  Spending time outdoors!  This is simple and fun to do and fresh air is great for us!

10.  Using old cardboard boxes, paper, etc for crafts, costumes, and fun!

How do you teach your kids to live greener lives?

New Leaf Energy believes that we should all make a positive impact to the environment and that you don’t have to completely change your life in order to do so. That’s why they are dedicated to bringing 100% renewable energy to Texans, along with a wealth of helpful and practical green living tips.

New Leaf Energy has recently introduced Pablo B. Green the tree frog as their mascot and to celebrate, they're launching a new event –  "Planting With Pablo!"  Through December 23 of this year, New Leaf Energy will plant one new tree for every new Facebook fan they receive.  What a great way to do something simple for our environment!