As a parent you want to instil all the best possible values into your kids. The importance of sharing, the importance of gentleness and kindness, the importance of respecting your elders, the importance of cherishing and looking after the world around you. A love of the natural world is something that a lot of us would like to see in our children – a respect for our beautiful green planet and an interest in learning to take care of it. Luckily there are things you can do to encourage this love.

Go For Locally Sourced Food

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Locally sourced food is fresh and delicious and it’s also great for the environment because it hasn’t travelled over vast distances to reach you. Of course not all food can be sourced locally, like tropical fruits, but whenever possible, go for local options in the grocery store. You should also try to go for organic free range meat – this is a lot kinder to the animals and it’ll also be a lot more pure for your body as well. You should also remember that you need to stop buying bottled water. Sure it’s convenient but it’s bad for the environment in pretty much every way, from the huge transportation costs to the wasted plastic bottles, so you should purchase a water filter and use that instead.

Stop Wasting Water

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We’ve all done it: we stand by the sink brushing our teeth and staring idly into space as the faucet runs. We spend too long in the shower, we use too much water when we’re washing up dishes. It’s extremely easy to waste water in general! Make sure that you cut down on this – leave post-its around to remind yourself to get out of the shower in good time and keep the water off wherever possible.

Use Natural Cleaning Products

The importance of using natural cleaning products can’t be underestimated. The truth is that in this day and age there is simply no need to keep a lot of dangerous chemicals in your home – and that applies even more when you have kids. You don’t want to have to worry about your babies ingesting anything harmful so why not go for non toxic cleaning products made from natural substances? Look online to find the best natural cleaners from companies that sell non toxic products like Jessica Alba’s Honest ranges, to cleaning solutions that you can use in your own home – did you know that you can use vinegar to unblock sinks and baking soda to clean up stains? There are a lot of natural cleaning solutions out there – put down the bleach and get researching. You know those chemicals give you a headache anyway! You’ll also find that using natural detergents will be the best possible thing for sensitive baby skin.

Lower Your Energy Bills

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The importance of lowering your energy bills is two fold. Firstly, we all know that it’s great for your wallet, meaning that you can treat yourself at the end of the month – but we also should remember that it’s also great for the environment. Fossil fuels are being used up at a pace that’s far more rapid than they’re being created and as such we need to start using sustainable sources of energy. If your house isn’t equipped with solar panels, watermills or wind turbines then your only real solution is to cut down on your energy use. Simply, you should make sure that you turn off lights when you leave the room and that you don’t leave your electronic equipment on standby. You should also make sure that you change your lightbulbs to LED ones, which last for much longer and use considerably less energy. Ensure that your house is properly insulated to keep the heat in, thus lowering your heating bills, and put rugs down on your wooden or tiled floors, to prevent still more heat from being lost. If you can feel a draught then why not make a draught excluder?

Turn Your Home Green

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No, we don’t mean that you have to paint all your walls green – although admittedly it’s a very peaceful and natural colour that your whole family would enjoy, so you could probably consider it. Rather, you should try to be as green at home as you possibly can. When you’re redecorating, use non toxic paints and paste, and make sure that you use sustainable materials wherever possible – if you’re redecorating a baby’s room, for example, go for a felt mobile instead of a plastic one. It’ll be just as pretty and it’ll be a whole lot better for good old Planet Earth. Go for good quality furniture made from recyclable materials that will last you for a long time instead of the homeware equivalent of disposable fashion, and remember that there’s no better home decoration than plants. Not only do they look extremely pretty, but they also produce oxygen and improve your home’s atmosphere. They’ll provide your kids with an example of having something to learn to look after, and they’ll bring a little piece of nature inside. You could go for a small herb garden on your kitchen windowsill – it’ll look good, smell fragrant and gorgeous, and you’ll feel incredible when you can use homegrown herbs in your cooking.

Lead By Example

Probably the most important parenting tip of them all is to lead by example. You probably already know this all too well – if you’ve ever let a single curse word slip past your lips in front of your kids after stubbing your toe then you’re probably aware that they pick up on everything way too quickly sometimes! If your kids see you recycling and walking instead of driving and respecting the natural world then they’ll learn to do the same thing and you’ll end up with an environmentally conscious family that you’re incredibly proud of. Take your kids hiking with your dog, send them on treasure hunts in your back yard and teach them to be gentle with insects like snails and spiders (even if you’re scared of them!). That way they’ll grow up with a real appreciation of this beautiful world that we’re lucky enough to live in.