Green Living 101: Modern Family Edition

If the prospect of making lifestyle changes amidst daily family chaos seems daunting, you’re not alone! Together, let’s explore the basics of modern green living and dig into simple yet practical tips to inspire your eco-conscious parenting journey.

Eco-friendly living basics

Ready to embrace green living like it’s going out of style? Luckily – contrary to the figure of speech – it’s quite the opposite, and with ample resources and support at every step of the way, there’s never been a better time to raise a family of aspiring eco-gurus. 

In fact, you likely already know the catchy “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra straight from the 70s! Referring back to the 3Rs will always ensure you’re helping our Mother Earth feel like the belle of the ball.

And before we get into laser-focused tips and tricks, we want you to make an important mental note – no change is “too small”. Whether it’s picking up a few preloved toys from a friend or reusing that pesky plastic bag that’s been lying around to avoid sending it to landfill, your everyday actions matter. Like, REALLY matter. 

Embracing sustainable shopping

Fact: In this country, we love to shop until we drop! According to WWF, our per-person consumption is higher than most other countries…yikes.

Good news: the power is in your hands, and shopping more sustainably is actually quite simple! 

Firstly, BYO bags and packaging. While plastic bags are being phased out in Australia (yay!), eco-friendly counterparts are not making much of a difference if forgotten at home, so keep a trusty stash handy before heading out. Another culprit is pre-packaged goods such as fruit and veggies, wrapped tightly in plastic and stuffed into trays. Getting loose produce is much better for the planet! Bonus: there are no hidden rotting duds sneaking into your fridge.

Secondly, if you must buy packaged goods, do so in bulk, meaning there is less wrapping and boxing involved overall. And if you’re currently embracing the frugal living trend, this strategy will also save you some serious dollars in the long run.

And whenever possible, supporting locally produced goods is the go, as not having to cross the planet to get to you means reducing the carbon footprint. 

Waste warriors unite

Reducing household waste is another important pillar of green living. 

First up, ample opportunities are lurking in the kitchen - trade single-use plastics for reusable containers, and become master composters to give food scraps a grand send-off. Pro eco-conscious parenting tip: if you’re open to it, children will love getting involved with wriggly worm farm friends.

Next, bid farewell to paper towels and embrace cloth napkins and wipes with pride, being that for cleaning or beauty purposes. And if your smallest family members are yet to enter the world of toilet training, turning to reusable nappies is another impactful swap that’s lighter both on waste and your wallet.

In addition, don’t be in a rush to buy new or toss existing stuff! Embrace thrifty treasures such as secondhand toys, consider swapping instead of buying, and don’t disregard the power of up-cycling those no-longer-needed clothes and things. 

Donate, swap and sell like a pro

How can we keep living our best lives for generations to come while ensuring there’s actually a planet to live on? Two words: circular economy!

It’s a powerful movement that calls to ditch the wasteful "take, make, dispose" mindset (looking at you, consumerism!) and embrace a fierce new lifestyle of reusing, remaking, and recycling.

If we don’t, the future is looking pretty grim, with the plastic toys alone threatening to cover much of the planet’s surface in a matter of decades. So now really is the time to start making conscious choices, where nothing goes to waste, and everything gets a fabulous new life.

Whether it’s selling a bunch of adorable baby clothes via an online marketplace, taking a kitchen gadget to a repair shop instead of buying a cheap and cheerful replacement, or hitting your local thrift store with a massive toy donation spree, once you get into that circular economy mindset, it will soon become second nature.

And speaking of toy swapping, there is an App for that! Enter Sassybae, Australia’s first toy-swapping mobile app, where green living and keeping new (to you) toys flowing go hand-in-hand! Swap toys and kids as easily as one-two-three (well, more accurately, swipe-swap-review), and enjoy less chaos and more variety, all while remaining planet-friendly. 

From teaching children about the importance of embracing sustainability to making choices aligned with the concept of green living, you're making a stand for Mother Earth, one eco-conscious step at a time.

With our simple strategies, your household will be the eco-warrior champions of the neighbourhood, proving that going green is not only a family affair but a whole lot of fun too!