Looking after the environment became so much more real when Fergus arrived. We are constantly trying to work on how we can look after the environment, without making our lives ridiculously hard (it’s hard enough already with a tiny human!).
Here are some of the things we’ve embraced to look after our Earth.
Cloth nappies
Our fave has been Tots Bots- a Glasgow, UK-based company using sustainable bamboo fabric, chemical-free designs, AND their waterproof liners recycle 2 plastic bottles for every nappy!! There are lots of nappy brands out there, but this has been our favourite for use and environmental impact.
Toxin-free toys
An awesome friend of ours gave Fergus a Woolkin Firetruck for his birth day. Woolkin uses no glue, with chemical-free NZ merino and NZ pine to make gorgeous toxin-free toys for our tiny humans. Check out Revology in Wanaka for more toxin-free toy ideas for your kids.
We also recommend looking into toys that promote play in nature… getting back to basics. Reduce plastic by making your own wooden toys like a Pikler triangle, sand down a few bits of firewood this winter to use as stacking blocks with a little bit of texture (no splinters please!), and we also have a million pinecones around the house that have been used to stack in egg-cartons and all sorts of places I would never have thought of….
Plastic-free drink bottles and food boxes
We were introduced to the Pura drink bottles by a client. Pura drink bottles use no plastic (silicon drinking straws etc), are stainless steel (long-lasting and tough!), and have different lid options so your drink bottle grows with and lasts your kid for years. We started with the toddler-based sippy straw, but have the next 2 upgrades for when Fergus is ready.
We also discovered Nestling lunch boxes- stainless steel with a one-piece silicon layer that makes it almost liquid-proof! Also, did I mention tough? Our wee dude likes to smash and bang things, so being tough is an essential ask. Blue Acorn- a NZ company- also makes cool stainless steel containers with silicon lids, and adult-sized stainless steel drink (and beer) bottles. We also use the beeswax wraps to keep food, rather than wrapping in plastic-wrap.
Plastic is such an insidious problem for our health, and the health of the future generations. Anything we can do to reduce plastic use or plastic creation is a plus in our book!
Reduce food plastic- Make your own bread
Neal made this amazing loaf using a recipe out of the $5 ‘The Gluten Free Kitchen’ book from Kmart!
Reducing plastic in our plastic-filled world can be a difficult task. We started looking at making our own bread both to reduce plastic, as well as save money on buying gluten and dairy-free bread. The other bonus of making your own bread is that you know exactly what went into it. Have you ever read the ingredients label on a loaf of bread? It can get pretty long and interesting.
Another way to reduce plastic is to use the refill stations at the supermarket. You can also go to Freshlink and Organic Wholefoods to use their bulk bins- take your own jars to refill as well to save time on double handling, and at Organic Wholefoods, they’ll even offer to look after your kid(s) so you can shop!
Buy local and organic whenever possible (and budget allowing) to support local businesses as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the foods you’re eating.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!
So, reducing isn’t always a possibility when you have kids. I couldn’t believe how my washing escalated when Fergus started walking and exploring the garden, and how many more clothes we needed to keep him going through the day.
Fergus foraging for pears at Wanaka Station Park, wearing predominantly second-hand clothes and shoes while wearing a cloth nappy :)
We use about 80% second-hand clothes (and a lot of toys as well) thanks to family and friends. Facebook groups and the Sharing Shed are also great ways to trade in second-hand clothes, toys, and a bunch of other useful things.
Chat to your friends and neighbours to see if they have toys their kids aren’t using any more, or even better- create a tradition to encourage your child to give away a toy whenever they get a new one. Helps keep the mess down as well!
forage for food
Did you know there are pears, walnuts and figs at Wanaka Station Park?! There are also lots of other fruit trees around the region for summer and autumn fruits as well. Try to find someone that keeps chickens, donate your food scraps and get cheap eggs. Trade your excess veg from your vege garden with someone with different excess veg or fruit. There’s so many ideas here.
What are some ways you like to promote looking after our environment? We’d love to hear from you!