Change Begins at Home - Kid friendly Eco-Conversations
- 6 min reading time
4 MINUTE READ It's Earth Day and your children may be involved in projects and activities that foster an awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's resources. To extend that learning, make caring for the Earth part of your family culture with environmentally focused conversations at home. Earth Day comes once a year, but sparking interest in environmental lifestyle changes could be beneficial for the other 364 days, as well as years to come! We only have one Mother Earth, so let's treat her right.
4 MINUTE READ
It's Earth Day and your children may be involved in projects and activities that foster an awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's resources. To extend that learning, make caring for the Earth part of your family culture with environmentally focused conversations at home. Earth Day comes once a year, but sparking interest in environmental lifestyle changes could be beneficial for the other 364 days, as well as years to come! We only have one Mother Earth, so let's treat her right.
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Meaningful change begins at home! To help all of us keep the conversation going and introduce these meaningful lessons at home, we’ve laid out some ideas around how to approach topics like climate change, single-use plastic consumption, and food waste.
Why Does Pollution Matter?
Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing issues, as rapid production overwhelms our ability to combat it. Plastic pollution isn't just an ocean issue - it’s a climate issue and health issue. Plastic waste can take hundreds of years to decompose and landscapes littered by plastic are common. Toxic debris can leach harmful chemicals into our groundwater and millions of animals are injured or killed by plastics every year.
CONVO TOPICS
- What are some of your favorite things to do outside? What do you think is the coolest thing about the planet?
- Have you heard the word pollution? What do you think the word pollution means?
- Have you heard the term climate change before? What do you know about it or think it might mean?
- Are there things you can do to help the planet at home, in your neighborhood, at school?
Fortunately, you have a better option. By using reusable products made from abundant materials, you can help protect the earth and all of its inhabitants. Every Silipint product is made from 100% food-grade, platinum silicone and is a great place to start! Our Limited Edition Earth Month Collection is perfect for supporting our beautiful planet. Not only are there 4 unique prints to choose from, but a portion of all sales will be donated to Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to further their mission of environmental protection through education.
Replace and Reduce - Work Smarter, Not Harder.
When it comes to recycling, the question shouldn’t be “How can we recycle more,” but, “How can we replace recycling or reduce waste?” For instance - in the U.S there are around 35 billion plastic bottles thrown out annually and yet only 30% of those bottles are recycled. Recycling isn’t bad, it’s just not enough. Most recyclables are items designed to use once or a handful of times. A lot of materials go into making them, and often the factories where they are made create pollution. We need to find other options.
CONVO TOPICS
- Why might reducing waste be better than recycling?
- What kind of single-use items might you want to avoid using?
- What are some items that you notice most in the recycling bin? What do you think it means to reduce your waste?
- Can you think of any reusable products that could be used to replace some of those wasteful items?
While dishes, bottles, mugs, etc. are a great replacement - they can break, take up a lot of space, and are inconvenient for taking on the go. Silipint products make it easy to use at home or on the go, while avoiding single-use products. Not to mention, a lifetime of broken dishes can add up!
Turn Food Waste into Fun!
Each year 80-120 billion pounds of food waste is thrown out in the US. Most of that ends up in landfills and as it sits, it creates methane gas which has harmful effects on the Earth and climate change. But there’s a great way to reduce food waste at home! It’s messy, a little stinky, and a fan favorite of children. Composting!! Composting turns old food into healthy, vitamin filled soil for plants and trees. Not only does composting make yummy soil for plants, but it also reduces your impact on climate change.
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
CONVO TOPICS
- Have you heard the word compost or composting before?
- What food waste have you thrown into the trash today?
- Do you usually eat all the food on your plate? How about most of the food that you and your family buy for the week?
- Why do you think it’s important for plants to have healthy, vitamin-filled soil to grow in?
Here are a few tips on DIY composting.
Go Green, With a Side of Greens.
Cows are responsible for two-thirds of harmful gas emissions. Their stomachs produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that’s more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide… Changing our diet to be more plant-based can make a difference. It requires a lot of will power and planning — but if we’re excited about creating change, anything is possible!
CONVO TOPICS
- What are some of your favorite foods?
- What are some of your favorite foods that do not include meat or animal products?
- Why might switching to a more plant-based diet be good for the earth and climate change?
- Would you be interested in trying some plant-based recipes?
- We acknowledge that not everyone has the ability to alter their diet as it relates to climate change. We must take care of ourselves in order to take care of anyone or anything else.
Take some time this Earth Day to consider how your everyday activities might be contributing to climate change. If we each try to be a little better, over time and through the accumulation of our efforts - we can slow negative impacts and hopefully provide a better environment for future generations.
Swapping single-use for reusable silicone is a step in the right direction. One Silipint product can replace hundreds, even thousands of single-use plastics from entering our landfills, oceans, and wild environments each year.
Make the change to reusable, unbreakable silicone products! At Silipint we have a wide variety of products - from Wines & Pints to Half Pints & Bowls - all built to last a lifetime. Check out our variety of products and see which Silipint is right for you!