Green Parenting Tips - 4 Things You Can Do to Be Greener

This article gives you 4 things you can do to become a greener parent.

1. Lighten The Load - For many parents the laundry pile can seem like it never ends. One of the best things you can do for the environment is to try and cut down your laundry pile. A great way to do this is to make sure you and your children get the most out of their clothes before they go in the laundry pile. Try avoiding putting clothes into the hamper after one use, as it really doesn't need a wash that soon. Also try to only do full loads to get maximum efficiency from your washing machine. If your clothes aren't soiled then try using cold water if possible, as it is unnecessary to use hot if your clothes are relatively fine anyway. Also try to avoid using a tumble dryer and opt for air drying instead. This is of course much easier to do in the summer than winter.

2. Recycle & Reuse - Instead of buying new clothes constantly and new stuff opt for second hand things instead. Many parents want to give their babies the best and they think that this means brand new. It doesn't. You can provide your baby with everything they need by buying second hand. This will not only save you money but is much better for the environment.

Also once your baby outgrows their clothing, either keep them for the next baby or give them away so they can be recycled by others. You could even try selling your items on a website like eBay if you are short on money.

3. Change Your Light Bulbs - Instead of using the traditional incandescent light bulb switch to fluorescent/eco-friendly bulbs. They do cost a little more but they last a lot longer than traditional bulbs and also use less energy.

4. Turn It Off - The standby light of electrical equipment is a complete waste of electricity. Instead of leaving your appliances on standby all night to consume energy that is unnecessary, turn the appliance off at the plug socket. By turning it off when not in use thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide could be kept out of the air every year. To make things easier you could plug all appliances into a multi-socket making it easier to turn all appliances off at once.

These 4 things are a great starting point for changing your life and being less wasteful but there are also many other things you can do too. Take it slow and don't overwhelm yourself. Going green is very rewarding to your and the planet.