Practicing Sustainability in Glen Echo and Montgomery County

Do your best, be kind, stand up for what you believe in, and for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Those are just some of the values we try to instill in our children. But in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there’s one that can easily be forgotten: nurture and help protect the planet we call home.

You may think that you’re already doing your part. You recycle, you now use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic, and you’re more careful when choosing household cleaning products. And while these seemingly small steps amount to big environmental changes over time, the truth is we can still do more to ensure that our children learn from the lessons we teach. If we’re good listeners, they have plenty to teach us, too.

Here are just a few simple ways you can teach your children to protect the environment, honor our diminishing resources, and live a more sustainable life.

• Visit the local library for children’s books about the environment and the importance of reducing our carbon footprint.

• Take a trip to a local recycling center for an up-close view of what happens after we throw that empty cereal box in the recycling bin.

• Ask your children to play detective and point out areas of the house where you can reduce, reuse, and recycle.

• Give old, unwanted items new life. Turn old clothes into dish towels, tote bags, aprons, or blankets. Turn old greeting cards into gift tags or book marks. Empty sauce jars can hold bulk spices, grains, beans, and more. Instead of reaching for a gift bag or wrapping paper, use paper bags or newspaper as wrapping material. Ask your child to decorate the wrapped package with finger paint, stencils, or their own artwork.

• Before buying something new, ask yourself if you really need it. Is it something you can make yourself? Or something you can find used?

• Hold a toy or book swap with your friends. Your kids will feel like they’ve gotten something new without you spending money or adding to the growing pile of “stuff”.

• While putting food scraps down the garbage disposal is better than throwing them in the trash, disposals require a lot of water to work properly. Consider starting a compost bin for food scraps instead. They’re easy and inexpensive to maintain, and your kids will love the science experiment!

Remember, even the tiniest of changes – and people – have the power to transform the world for the better.

Here at Your 1 Plumber, we can do even more to help you conserve water and energy, and in a growing number of ways. Low-flush toilets, faucet aerators, sensor-operated water flow faucets, tankless water heaters – and these are just the beginning of our green plumbing products and services. For more information, contact Your 1 Plumber today.