by Natalia Jones

Created on: January 15, 2010

Welcoming a new member into the family is always an exciting and momentous occasion but the environmental impact can be staggering. Of course, the joy of having a baby or the hectic schedule of keeping up with growing children can easily overshadow any eco-concerns that might surface of how the size of your family is affecting your natural habitat.

However, more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and this awareness is creeping into every facet of life, including how parents can save money while living greener healthier lives.

The following are some ideas for parents on how to improve their carbon footprints and boost their savings balances simultaneously.

Use Cloth Diapers

Disposable diapers are convenient but they also take up to 500 years to disintegrate. Every day approximately 50 million diapers end up in landfill in the United States alone. These staggering statistics speak volumes of what an immense problem this convenience has caused. A resurgence of the traditional cloth diaper can drastically slow down the effects of this waste crisis. The good news here is they are also a lot cheaper to maintain and parents who commit to the routine of change, soak and wash can reap the rewards in their bank accounts.

Stop Buying Individually Packaged Snacks

Another opportunity to be green and save is by not buying individually packaged snacks. These little treats are easy to pop into lunch boxes but they also encourage the production of excess packaging materials that consume huge amounts of energy and other resources.

Revitalize Old Values; Waste Not Want Not

The principle here is simple; don’t buy more than you can use and if you open it you use it or you save it for someone who will. This can easily be applied to food wastage. Much of the food the average family purchases is thrown out because it goes bad before they have the chance to eat it or because they dish out way too much and the excess is tossed in the trash. A change in attitude here can produce big savings while also reducing your carbon footprint.

Hand-Me-Downs are Great for the Environment

Children sometimes ask for new clothes and toys, but their attitude to the things they receive can be influenced greatly by the way in which they are given. For instance, if things are passed on as if they were treasures instead of simply used children may be more receptive to using them. If you can teach your children to take care of their things so they can be reused by others you’ll not only save money but you’ll be doing the environment a huge favor by raising a child that is conscious of the importance of reusing and recycling.

Learn more about this author, Natalia Jones.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.