Eco-Friendly practices to teach children for International Day of Zero Waste
‘Heal the world, Make it a better place. For you and for me And the entire human race.’
Remember the time those words tugged at your heart, when you first heard them? These infamous chorus lines from Michael Jackson’s track ‘Heal the World’, have made their way into the hearts of millions worldwide. Needless to say, because the message they deliver is such a powerful one. That of ‘healing the world.’ One of the ways we can do just that, is by having our children go ‘Zero Waste’!
The International Day of Zero Waste is on March 30th this year. The onus lies on our kids, to start the year right by becoming environmentally conscious. This entails their taking all the steps they can, to go Zero waste. In this blog post you will learn all about how to achieve Zero Waste Management. But first, a look at What is Zero Waste.
The Zero Waste System: Understanding What is Zero Waste
What is Zero Waste? Simply put, it refers to the Systems and Practices that are enforced to help us fight dangers like Climate Change and Pollution. In essence, a sound Zero Waste System aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns, and also helps raise awareness as to how all those Zero Waste Initiatives can help save our environment.
The harsh reality is, serious issues like Global Warming, are largely influenced by the mismanagement of waste. It becomes imperative for us, then, to implement sound waste management techniques, so as to address the very ‘real’ environmental issues our planet is facing in this day and age. The objective of the Zero Waste approach is simple, really. It’s all about bettering the environment, and in turn, human health, too!
The International Day of Zero Waste: The Significance
The primary objectives of the International Day of Zero Waste are the global bolstering of Waste Management, and highlighting the need to promote sustainable production patterns.
It is this day that sees the raising of awareness of national and even local zero-waste initiatives, to minimize and even prevent the generation of waste.
How to Achieve Zero Waste Management: Eco-Friendly Practices to teach children for International Day of Zero Waste
Looking at How to Make Zero Waste? Ready to set the ball rolling vis a vis protecting that ‘larger ball that rolls on its axis, and around the Sun?’ Presenting some eco-friendly practices, to help our children do just that!
- Indulging in the Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Reducing Food Waste
- Borrowing and Sharing Books
- Walking and Riding a Bicycle
- Get them to spend time in Nature
- Learning to Segregate Waste
- Doing a Waste Audit
- Wearing Sustainable Clothes
Our children have to know that it is not necessary to buy new things all the time. When they reduce their consumption of things and even reuse old items, it is as effective as all that ‘recycling’. That is, when it comes to protecting the environment, of course.
Remember the time your parents told you that some child somewhere is going hungry, and that’s why you should finish everything on your plate? Teaching kids to minimize food waste, can go a long way in ensuring the Earth’s resources are not unnecessarily depleted.
Tip: You want to give them ‘fruits’ as snacks. They produce minimal waste.
Kids must indulge in the love of reading, but it’s best if they ‘borrow’ books to read from the local library, rather than ‘buying’ them. When looking at how to make zero waste, this is one of the best ways.
Tip: You can even get them to ‘exchange’ books with their friends, to minimize that paper waste. If need be, let them read on a Kindle!
When looking at how to achieve zero waste management, you really want to ditch the car as much as you possibly can. Tell them that minimizing waste not only entails throwing things away, but also reducing their Carbon Footprint. They can walk or even ride a cycle, instead.
Bonus: Walking and cycling ensure better physical health, too!
Tip: The next time they want to go somewhere close by, ask them ‘Do you really need me to drive you there?’
This is one of the most underrated ways to help children realize the importance of indulging in eco-friendly practices. After all, this is where it all begins. The thought that Mother Nature must be protected, that is. Simply taking them outdoors more often, in areas where they can ask questions about the plants and animals that surround them, will help them appreciate nature and work towards its conservation.
When looking at how to make Zero Waste, kids must first learn how to segregate it! One of the best ways to do this, would be to ‘label’ those different trash containers. For instance, you want to mark them as ‘recyclable ‘and ‘non-recyclable.’
Tip: Show them yourself, where the ‘different’ items must go. Like plastic bottles into the Recyclables bin, and banana peels into the Non-Recyclables.
Perhaps the only thing better than Segregating Waste, as outlined in the example above, is ‘seeing’ the kind of waste you have in your bins! To this effect, you want your children to embark on a Waste Audit at the end of the week, and see what items come out of your trash. This can lead to some interesting insights. For instance, if your children are eating a lot of Greek yogurt, you will find those bins filled with empty yogurt containers. The Solution: make your own yogurt at home, to minimize all that waste!
It’s imperative to teach kids about the importance of wearing sustainable clothes. A lot of ‘synthetic’ clothes are coloured with dyes that are laced with harsh chemicals that ultimately find their way into the soil. Encourage your kids to wear clothes made of ‘natural’ materials, like organic cotton. These will ensure there are none of those harmful chemicals involved.
Bonus: the process of ‘biodegradation’ of these clothes is much faster.
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