5 Eco-Friendly Ideas for the Family

To mark the launch of our new Ecolight jackets and puddlesuits (made using recycled fabrics) we have put together a few simple ideas to inspire your family to be more eco-friendly.

We believe spending more time outside in nature will encourage your young adventurers to gain respect for and adopt habits to conserve the environment. Simple changes to your family lifestyle really add up over time and each small step towards being more environmentally friendly can make a big difference.

1) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Ask your children to gather up toys, books and other items they no longer use to pass on to others. You can make the most of preloved clothes by handing them down to younger siblings or other smaller people to enjoy. Instead of throwing away unwanted objects from your home, you can easily recycle them into fun toys and games for the whole family to enjoy. View our article on low-waste outdoor activities for some inspiration or have a go at woodland bowling as a fun way to reuse plastic bottles.

2) Choose to walk

While we’re limited to our local areas, now is a great time to explore places nearby that you might never have been to before. This is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint and discover hidden gems which may be on your doorstep.

3) Conserve energy

Rather than wash them every time you use them, simply wipe clean waterproofs and leave them to air dry naturally, ready for your next muddy adventure! Washing clothes on a cooler setting where possible will reduce energy use along with drying clothes on a rack or a clothesline. Keeping lights and other utilities off is a much-needed practice when energy conservation is more important than ever. You can encourage children to turn out the lights when they leave a room and hopefully soon this will become a habit.

4) Grow your own

Get kids involved in growing their own produce in the garden to cut back on the vegetables and herbs you need to buy from shops. They will really enjoy watching them grow and get satisfaction from eating something that they have grown themselves! You could also create a household compost bin and turn it into fertiliser for your garden. This practical guide might be useful to get you started in making great garden compost.

5) Plant a tree

Trees provide food and oxygen, help save energy, clean the air and help combat climate change. Why not plant a tree with your child and give them the responsibility for nurturing it, helping teach them the value of nature and how to look after it? Alternatively you could plant a tree on each one of your children’s birthdays and watch them grow.

We would love to hear about the different things your family is doing to be more eco-friendly.