Earth Day

To commemorate the Earth Day, last week we started a small initiative. We got all our fellow parents to share with us one eco-friendly idea that they follow themselves or teach their little ones to follow. We got a host of very useful responses from them. We have put together all those responses for your benefit. Read here and get inspired, after all every small step counts.
1) Turning the water tap off on a regular basis to avoid water wastage is one of the most under-rated things, but I think it can go a long way in conserving water—Nitin Pandey.
If you feel strongly about this, refer to our blog on water conservation.
2) Use public transportation - saves energy, saves money as well. If possible go for car pooling while travelling the same direction.—Arundhati Pai Gupta
3) Go natural and give chemicals a thumbs down. Use vinegar to clean kitchen countertops or add it to the water used for mopping. It is clean and hygienic too.—Ankita A Talwar
Chemicals in cleaners, such as used in mopping floors, seep into the ground water contaminating it and disturb the balance of the soil inhibiting flora and fauna.
4) Sorting trash for recycling—paper, plastic bottles, PET bottles, aluminium and compost. We already have pre-assigned bins for each type of refuse and the children already know where to throw which item.—Anurima
Bonus: You can also teach children to recycle paper. Instead of throwing away print outs, let them use the backside (the unprinted one) as a scribble pad or practice sheet.
5) I get all my bills through email and not printed on paper. Printing on paper is a huge waste of paper as a resource. –Ayushi
You can also skip taking printouts of train tickets as nowadays an ID and a SMS is all that is asked for.
Each of these steps, though may seem very small, can matter in teaching your child to be a sensitive person. And if she cares, she can inspire her friends too and start off a ripple effect.