From Guest Blogger Tina Samuels: How Can Daycare Facilities Contribute to the Green Life?
Living green is something that every person can do in order to help lower human’s impact on the planet.
Due to human activity, our climate is changing faster now than any other time in history. The Earth goes through climate changes, but the act of burning fossil fuels, along with other activity – cutting forests, draining swamps, and building homes that aren’t energy efficient.
Through education, even the youngest children can learn to live greener and help preserve the planet for a brighter tomorrow.
Cloth Diapering
Taking care of infants and toddlers has been assumed to be non-green for years.
Before the invention of disposable wipes and diapers, this disposable lifestyle wasn’t the ‘norm’.
Thanks to the green living movement, cloth diapers and wipes are making a comeback. It isn’t all pins and leaks, either. Advances in how cloth diapers are made have eased the scary nature of using cloth.
Most cloth diapers have velcro or snap fasteners which eliminate any possibility of hurting a baby with pins. Washing cloth diapers is easier than ever thanks to the high efficiency washing machines many people have in their homes.
Day cares are stepping up and accepting children that use cloth diapers.
By using these, the day care cuts down on their expenses – no need to buy as many disposable diapers or wipes.
Offensive smells and hazardous waste from bio-matter is also eliminated as solid waste is dumped into a toilet instead of wrapped in a disposable and tossed.
Early Education
The smallest children can begin to learn how to do things ‘green’.
While infants can’t participate, small children that can follow simple directions can learn to recycle and more.
Daycares can keep recycling bins in their child care area, when recycling needs to be done children can place the recyclables into their proper bin. Enforcing this easy to learn green living area will stay with the children their entire lives.
Children can also be taught about how their activities can help the planet.
Growing small plants, learning about animals, and taught to pick up litter will have a lifelong effect. People that begin learning about green living early tend to develop good stewardship habits throughout life.
As with any learned behavior, starting early is always best.
Building Green
Aside from child care, day cares that wish to be greener can retrofit their facilities or build green in the beginning. Many options exist to help facilitate a green building.
These come in the form of tax breaks and grants from the government, some states may offer such breaks as well. Solar power can help contribute to the power needs of a facility, as can wind power in areas where wind is a strong resource.
Energy efficiency can help keep costs down.
Changing light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs, using more fans than air conditioning, turning lights off when not in use, and installing only Energy Star rated appliances contribute to a greener facility.
About the Author: Tina Samuels writes on personal reputation, social media, marketing, and small business topics.
