Our planet in a vast and beautiful place that we should be proud to call home. However, to keep the Earth beautiful, we all have to do our bit to keep it clean and healthy. Such habits should be learned from an early age and teaching your kids how to live in an environmentally way can go a long way to helping the planet maintain its beauty. The following are just some of the habits you can pass on to your children.

Turn off the tap

When brushing your teeth or washing your hands it is advisable to use the minimum amount of water possible. By not leaving the tap running unnecessarily, you are contributing to the preservation of our planets resources.

Recycle

These days, recycling is much easier than it has ever been. There are three primary materials that can be recycled efficiently from your own home: paper, plastic and aluminum. Kids use a lot of paper, and the countless paintings and models constructed from cardboard boxes can be recycled simply by putting the paper in the appropriate bin. Many products come with plastic packaging that can also be recycled from home, and it is advisable to separate your waste accordingly. Aluminum is another primary recyclable material, drinks and food cans are all reusable when placed in the relevant recycle bin at home.

Switch off appliances

Any time an electrical appliance is used it should be switched off afterwards. Also any chance to use environmentally friendly hardware products such as Brother Ink cartridges or energy saving light bulbs should be taken into consideration.

Don’t Litter

Another environmental tip is to have respect for the World around you by not throwing litter onto the street, into the road, or any place other than a bin or, when applicable, a recycle bin!

Image: matttilda – Fotolia

There is a new environmental consciousness sweeping across the world, which is good news for planet earth considering the negative impact of pollution in its varied forms. Water, air and the earth itself are all suffering due to pollution and there is no time to waste to save the planet. Everybody needs to adopt environmentally friendly practices, including children and when children are taught about green practices from an early age, it becomes a way of life for them.

Teach by example

From a young age children learn by example so you must be the role model they can follow by adopting environmentally friendly measures yourself. Reduce water wastage by installing dual flushes, shower timers and even taps, which aerate water so that you use less. If and where possible, reuse grey water.

Electricity

Change lights in the house to CFLs or LEDs bulbs, which are environmentally friendly and use much less power. Teach your children to switch off all power at the source when devices are not in use – remember electric and electronic items in stand-by mode also consume power.

Try and use solar power where possible, especially outdoors. You can also get solar kits for your children to play with and this teaches them about the use of solar power.

Using less gas

Switch to cars that use alternative power sources such electricity-powered vehicles or hybrids. Talk to your children when doing this and explain to them how gas costs a lot in terms of money and pollution. Encourage children to use bikes rather buses for short journeys.

Reuse and recycle

When you reuse or recycle items which would otherwise be thrown away, you are teaching children to do the same. Gift wrapping paper, for example, if removed properly, can be reused easily. Newspapers, cans and bottles should be taken to recycling centers and disposed of there. At the supermarket, take your own canvas or cloth bags which can be reused instead of plastic which does not biodegrade.

Encourage your children to adopt environmentally friendly practices in all aspects of their life and you will go a long way in reducing their carbon footprint.

Image: Roman Milert – Fotolia

If you want to leave the planet a healthier place for your children and grandchildren, you really need to adopt greener practices in your own home. Like most “revolutions”, living a greener and more environmentally friendly life begins at home and there are numerous small but significant lifestyle changes that you can make to help make the world a greener place.

In the kitchen and bathroom

Use water more efficiently, replacing leaky taps and shower heads if necessary. When using dish washers and washing machines, make sure they are energy rated so they save power. Appliances like refrigerators, freezers, geysers or boilers, heaters, air conditioners and washers/dryers should be of the right size to suit your family. A little tweaking can help save power – setting the thermostat of the air conditioner a little higher, or the heater a little lower, using cold water to wash clothes and loading the machines to capacity can all help save power and water.

In the rooms

When you use LED and CFL lights instead of incandescent bulbs or tube lights, you save power and the life of your new lights is also much more. If your house has good insulation, you can save on heating and cooling bills. There are many small gadgets available which can help you monitor your energy usage. These devices, more often than not, influence home owners to reduce the amount of electricity they use by simply switching off lights in rooms that are not occupied and appliances that are not in use.

Solar power

Whether you use small solar powered lights or chargers for your phones, laptops and other gadgets, or you install solar panels to generate electricity, you will be helping save the environment. While the initial cost of solar panels may be high, you will recover the costs within a few years.

Waste

In your home, separate waste:

• Food waste can be composted and put in plants and gardens.

• Newspapers and magazines, bottles and cans can be recycled.

• Plastic can be reused. Cut down on plastic usage or use biodegradable plastic.

• There are centers which will accept your electronic waste.

When you adopt green practices at the micro level they will reflect at the macro level. Each person’s green contribution has a positive impact on the environment. You should learn to reduce your carbon footprint as far

Image: anweber – Fotolia

Most people are aware that there is a mind-body connection, but they are not quite sure how it works. Indeed, the mind influences the physical body a great deal and vice versa. A healthy mind goes a long way in promoting a healthy body, and a healthy body can help stimulate the mind.

Effect of diseases

All diseases are not psychosomatic – there are many ailments which are caused by bacteria, germs, even insects and animals and genetic factors. There are also many ailments which are caused by various imbalances in the body and sometimes these may be affected by the mind. For instance when you are stressed, it can lead to insomnia, acidity, anxiety, unhappiness and these can lead to serious diseases.

Lifestyle diseases like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol levels can together lead to arterial blockages. If these are not managed in the initial stages, then they can even be fatal. On the flip side, serious diseases like cancer have been better managed and sometimes even cured by imagery and other mind techniques.

Healthy body

A healthy body can lead to a healthy mind and vice versa. If you use intelligence to plan your diet and exercise, reduce stress and keep calm, have a positive mental attitude, your body will also respond positively. A healthy mind goes a long way in helping to keep a rein on negative emotions, reactions and other external stimuli.

When you eat the right kinds of foods and follow a proper diet, you will lose weight and get all the essential nutrients which boost immunity and keep disease at bay. Even lifestyle diseases can be managed better with the correct foods.

The importance of exercise is unimaginable. It is extremely important to try and get in some exercise every day or as often as possible. Here exercise does not necessarily refer to going to a gym and working out, but encompasses outdoor sports like running, swimming, biking, tennis, hiking or any other sport you are interested in. A combination of exercise and sports actually works even better. Exercise actually releases endorphins, which are the feel good chemicals in the brain, so you feel less stressed and more energetic, leading to a healthy mind.

Image: detailblick – Fotolia

In the past few years more people have become conscious about environmental and the need to take care and conserve the world in which we live. It is important to take responsibility for saving our planet Earth from the ecological disasters brought about by inventions as well as the waste created by humans. There are several radical as well as moderate methods available for those interested in living in an environmentally friendly neighborhood. It all depends on the will and determination to make changes in our lifestyle. It is true that awareness and determination can become the basis for a better and greener Earth.

Some Tips for Saving the Environment

Just being aware is not enough; we need to practice things to make them successful. All electrical appliances which are not being used should be switched off and power saving bulbs or solar lamps can be installed at home as throughout the neighborhood. Car pools are an excellent option to cut down on the use of fuel. You can even plan to walk, bike or use the public transport. Trees are precious and you can try reducing the use of paper. Encourage your friends and acquaintances to carry their own shopping bags, not just for grocery but also to the department and garment stores. Reusable water bottles are a great option to save on the use of environmentally hazardous plastic.

Persuade children as well as adults to spend more time outdoors rather than at home with the TV or computer. Get together with friends and visit the local farmers market. You can buy fair trade or organic food produced locally. This will reduce pollution and carbon emission with less shipping, transportation and packaging. The neighborhood can be planted with indigenous plants as they help reduce use of water. If possible develop a kitchen garden to enjoy fresh and healthy food while reducing your carbon footprint.

Make Your Neighborhood Environmentally Friendly

There are several assiduous activities we can encourage to make our neighborhood environmentally friendly. It may take little extra effort to develop an environment friendly neighborhood, but the reward is worth it. In fact when you think about it seriously you will be surprised at the changes you can bring about in your neighborhood. The will to safeguard the environment is the first step to show love for the planet.

Image: Kai Schirmer

While everybody knows the basics when it comes to recycling, there are many everyday household items that can be either reused or recycled that you may not know about. Before you throw any old item in the waste bin, you should first consider if there are ways in which you can use it – you may be surprised at what a little creative thinking can come up with.

Food containers

You can and should recycle all glass containers. Bottles and jars should be rinsed out and their caps removed prior to recycling. Metal caps and lids can also be recycled, but separately. Aluminum, tin and steel jars and containers can also be recycled. If you collect a lot of them, you should consider crushing them so they take up less space.

Plastics, which are labeled one to seven, can be recycled. Milk bottles, deli containers, take out containers and soda bottles come under this category. However, these can also be re-used as food storage containers within your own home, so before you run to Ikea to top up your kitchen supplies, see if you can make use of any old containers instead.

Household stuff that cannot be recycled

There are many food containers, which cannot be recycled. These include pizza boxes, wax paper covered items, foil which also contains plastic, plastic cutlery, microwaveable food trays, Styrofoam plates or cups, paper stained with food and tetra packs. Also, other forms of packaging such as bubble wrap boxes, boxboard, light bulbs, mirror glass, ceramic and crystal cannot be recycled. While some of these items may be reused or repaired, if they are broken, you will simply have to throw them away.

Some surprising items that can be recycled

Computer and electronic waste, wires and cables can be taken to special recycling centers which accept them. CDs, DVDs, printer cartridges can also be recycled. In fact, many printer companies, such as Brother, make environmentally friendly printer cartridges that can either be refilled or recycled. Batteries, too, can be recycled.

While newspapers, books and most paper products can be recycled, you do have to go through the waste items and check whether your center or bin accepts the paper products.

Different areas and communities may have specific products they take and don’t take for recycling, so it is best to make sure before throwing your waste in designated places. It is always a good idea to make sure that you pack the waste neatly and compact it if required. It is also worth the while to drop recyclable waste products even if you have to go the extra mile to do so.

Image: Sergio Dona