Toilet Talk: Green Parenting for the Potty?

Are you flushing money (and the environment) down the toilet?

In the typical American household, 35 to 45% of all of the drinkable (or potable) water is used to flush the toilet. Older model toilets are the worst offenders, using 7-10 gallons of water with each flush. Newer models are slightly more conservative, using between 3-5 gallons. Flushing gallons of water down the toilet is not only a waste of the water itself, but also of the energy and resources used to filter that water and transport it to and from your house. It also costs you money twice: once on your water bill and again on your sewer bill.

So save yourself some money and help keep the environment from going down the toilet with these easy green parenting tips:

• Use The Can:Don’t use your toilet as a trash can. Toss tissues, dead bugs, and cigarette butts (make sure they’re out...better yet, don't smoke!) in the garbage to avoid unnecessary flushes.
  
  
• Gotta Leak? Not sure if the toilet at your house is leaking? Drop a little food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, there is a leak.
  
  
• Dam It! You only need about 2 gallons of water to successfully flush your toilet. If your toilet uses more than that, make a toilet dam by filling a plastic water bottle with pebbles or water and place it in your toilet tank. This will reduce the overall volume of the tank and cut down on the amount of water flushed down the drain. If you have an active toilet (and if you have kids it's likely that you do), this can save you roughly 300 gallons of water each month.

Got Leaves? Get Composting!

Have you ever met a kid who didn't love jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves? I certainly haven't! So with a beautiful fall weekend almost within reach, it's time to rev up you rakes and get ready for some weekend fun. And after your kids get finished smashing the leaves to smithereens, be sure to add any leftover bits to your compost pile. Composting is the ultimate recycler, turning your yard waste and kitchen scraps into usable (and sought after) plant food. If you don't already have one, this is the perfect time to get started.

Why Compost?

1. Save Money: Why pay money for plant food and fertilizers when you can make your own with some broken down leaves and newspapers. Composting is not as hard as you think and it can save you a fortune in yard care products.
   
2. Reduce Waste: Every scrap you put in the compost bin is one less scrap that's locked away in a landfill.
   
3. Protect Your Plants and The Planet: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "compost has been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops." The organization has also found that the composting process can help absorb odors, bind heavy metals, and break down toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Starting A Compost Pile

There are tons of resources out there that cover the composting process inside and out. Basically, to get started you will need 2 types of ingredients:

• Carbon (shredded newspapers, cardboard, and straw)
• Nitrogen (lawn clippings, kitchen waste, and weeds).

Combine them together and before long you'll have compost. If you're feeling lazy you don't need to do anything else (but wait and wait). You'll have usable compost by next year even if you never touch the pile again. If you'd like things to move along a little more quickly, you'll need to turn the pile and add a few drops of water every few weeks. If you really want to get the most from your waste, check out a few online resources:

How To Compost.org
How To Make Compost
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Composting Info

Energy Report Cards

I spend a lot of time "eco-nagging" my daughters. Whether it's "please turn off the light," or "DO NOT stand there with the refrigerator door open," I am constantly pestering them use less energy...a concept that I'll admit can be somewhat abstract to children. A great way to teach kids about energy consumption is to turn the tables and let them teach you. Help your child give your house an "Energy Report Card". Here's how...

Energy Report Cards

For Toddlers and Preschoolers: At this age, the idea is to keep it simple. Download the free Home Energy Audit Kit from EarthCare and help your child identify the items in the pictures (of common household scenes) that use energy. Color the pictures and introduce the basic concepts. "When we turn the light on, we use energy." Show your child how you turn off the light whenever you leave a room so that you don't waste energy.

For Elementary School-Aged Kids: Using the same kit mentioned above, take the concepts one step further. Look through the house together to identify the items that use energy (lights, TV, computer, cell phone charger, etc.) Now, see if you can find ways together to use a little less energy. Adjust the thermostat by a few degrees, unplug appliances that you don't use regularly, replace burned out light bulbs with compact fluorescents. Check out HogBusters an online game where kids can learn more about the energy savers and wasters throughout the house.

Next, make sure your kids know just where all of that energy is coming from. The diagram posted below gives a good general overview of how this energy gets to your house. You can explore this site further to learn about the different kinds of energy and how they are produced.


For Tweens and Teens: Teenagers should already know what items use energy, but they may not be aware of how much that energy costs in resources and dollars. Surf with your teen over to Saving Electricity 101and scroll down the page to the Electricity Calculator. There you can look up the energy cost in dollars of most common household items (everything from coffee machines to X-boxes.) The idea is not to make kids feel guilty about using energy, just aware that the energy they use does cost money. Talk about the resources (fossil fuels or renewables) that are needed to create energy. You can also check out Home Energy Savers for a web-based home energy auditing tool that calculates your homes energy costs based on the averages in your local area.

Now that your kids know all about saving energy, turn them loose on their schools. A school "Energy Report Card" makes a great science project and can help schools save a bundle of money on energy costs. Oh, and don't be surprised to hear a little "eco-nagging" as well. "Don't put so much hot water in that bath, Mom!"

Go Low-Flow

As a parent, I would love nothing more than a nice, long, hot shower if for no other reason than to take a break from doling out snacks, referring fights, and wiping up spills. Of course, I'm lucky if I can get 5 minutes to myself. But even 5 minutes is all it takes to wash away 30 gallons of water. Showers make up a big chunk (roughly 22 percent) of the average family's water bill. And showers hit the pocketbook twice...once for water and once for the energy the water heater uses to make the water hot. Low-flow shower heads have come along way since they were first introduced, reducing water use by as much as 500 to 800 gallons of water per month. Install one and you'll save water, energy, and a ton of $$$.

Don't Be A Drip!

Set aside one day this month to repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Aside from being annoying, these little drips can add up to big dollars and major waste. Dripping faucets can waste up to 2,000 gallons of water each year in the average home, while leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons per day.
water conservation

Park It!

The next time you're headed to the grocery store or the soccer field, make an effort to park in the shade. It will keep your car cooler in the summer and minimize the evaporization of fuel.
driving green

A Bright Idea

Lighting adds up to 15 percent of the total energy use in the average American home. So don’t overlook the obvious: turn off lights when you leave a room. Also, try using a lower wattage bulb or swapping out regular light bulbs for energy-saving, long-lasting compact fluorescents that can save energy and cash.

See Double

Whether you’re at home or at work, get in the habit of using both sides of a piece of paper. Kids’ art projects, grocery lists, and messages can give paper a second life. Check with your kids’ school to see if any of your waste (such as jars, magazines, paper towel rolls, newspapers, or plastic bottles) could be used for art projects. At the store, bring along your own shopping bags; either the plastic bags from your last trip, or better yet, a reusable tote bag.

Follow The Sun

Even if you don’t have solar panels on your roof, you can make use of the sun’s power to warm your home in the winter. Leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. In the summer, block that warmth by closing shades and blinds on the sunny side of the house

Take Control Of Your Temperature

This is one of the simplest and most powerful things you can do to save energy around your house. In the winter, see if you and your family can still be comfortable with the thermostat set around 68 degrees. Turn it down even more when you go to sleep. During the summer months, bump up the thermostat and open a window when there is a fresh breeze.

Pull The Plug

Even when appliances are off, they are still draining energy in “standby” mode. Use a power strip to turn off televisions, stereos, and computer systems when you are not using them and unplug appliances such as phone chargers, extra refrigerators, and printers until you need them.

Make A Waste-Free Lunch

Many parents rely heavily on pre-packaged and disposable goods when packing lunches. Sure, they’re convenient, but what is the cost of this convenience? Much of the trash generated in the American home comes from the packaging on the food we buy. According to Wastefreelunches.org, each school-age child who packs a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That works out to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school. Ditch those pre-packaged goods and make your kids a waste-free lunch.

How do you make a waste-free lunch? Instead of wrapping sandwiches in aluminum foil or plastic bags, use a reusable container that can hold the sandwich as well as fresh veggies and other treats. Substitute cloth napkins and reusable silverware for disposables. Replace juice boxes and water bottles with reusable drink containers. And use a lunchbox or cooler instead of paper lunch bags.

Don't Buy It...Borrow Instead

Start a toy exchange with friends. As every parent knows, today’s favorite toy is tomorrow’s closet clutter. Instead of buying new toys every week, bring a box of your old toys to a friend’s house and bring a box of their old toys home. Swap them back after a few weeks. Instead of buying books, movies, and magazines, utilize your local library or movie rental store.

Go Paperless

Think twice before you hit that PRINT button. Read documents, news, and magazines online. Pay bills over the web to save paper from bills and checks. Send out e-cards to save both paper and cash. At work, distribute memos and circulate documents by email.