International Youth Day: Sustainability is the answer for a better future for our children
12th August marks the International Youth Day, a worldwide celebration to bring attention to youth issues. With the climate crisis worsening, everyone has a huge responsibility, but especially young people: so it is vital that they learn to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle from an early age so that they can secure their future.
Here are some good practices for a sustainable lifestyle you can teach to your little ones:
- Use reusable water bottles to drink
By refilling their reusable water bottle, your children will avoid producing large amounts of plastic waste. In additional, stainless-steel bottles, such as those from Liewood, not only come with fun prints your little ones will love but can keep the contents warm for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours.
- Brush your teeth with awareness
It is estimated that leaving the water running while brushing your teeth consumes 6 litres per minute, so shutting off the tap is definitely a good practice. You can make your children’s teeth brushing routine even more sustainable by providing them with bamboo toothbrushes such as those from The Humble Co.: you’ll have to remove the bristles with a pair of pliers, whereas the handle is 100% compostable and you can dispose it or reuse it in a creative way, for example in your garden!
- Use reusable lunch boxes
Instead of wrapping your children’s snacks in several plastic film layers, pack their food in a reusable lunch box. Bowls in stainless steel such as those from Tiffin + will keep the food hot for 6 hours and cold for 8 hours and will not retain flavours and odours after washing.
- Separate waste properly
If separated correctly, waste can be reused to obtain new materials, without the need to ask the planet for new resources. It is therefore essential to try to leave as little as possible in the unsorted waste bin! Disposal methods may vary from city to city, so remember to check the guidelines for your area to ensure that you are separating your waste properly.
- Ride your bike
To go to school, to the park, to do the grocery shopping or any daily adventure that allows it, try to use the bike for your and your children's trips. Alternatively, you can use public transport or go on foot, so as to limit journeys by car as much as possible, since they are estimated to be responsible for 60,7% of carbon emissions linked to the transport sector in Europe.
Summarising good habits for a sustainable lifestyle in 5 points is impossible, but this is certainly a good starting point to get your children used to the daily practice of sustainability!
Sources:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/youth-day
https://www.focus.it/ambiente/ecologia/22032010-1549-222-sai-quanta-acqua-consumi
https://www.wwf.it/pandanews/ambiente/come-fare-la-differenziata/