How We Are Improving Our Environmental Paw Print
I definitely meant to hit publish on this post on Earth Day, but life got in the way! Happy (belated) Earth Day! Over the past few years, I’ve been trying to cut down on my trash input and not waste our planet’s resources. I guess you could say I am trying to be more sustainable, improve my environmental footprint, be more eco-friendly, or however you choose to call it. We are trying to just do better all around to care for our planet, and I think that’s what matters most!
In our house, we’ve made small changes like switching to cloth napkins and rags rather than paper napkins and paper towels. Instead of tossing broken things, we try to fix them. We’ve also dabbled in thrifting, occasionally buying pre-owned clothes and furniture. When we go to the store we use reusable shopping bags. We also try to conserve energy by turning off lights after we leave the room and we’ve even switched to energy-efficient light bulbs! Zach is notorious for wasting food so we are trying to improve on that. We also recently purchased new reusable water bottles and coffee cups!
As Zach and I have made small changes in our lifestyle to be more sustainable, we’ve also tried to cut down our waste with the dogs as well. Take a look at the ways we are improving our environmental paw print.
- Buy food and treats in bulk
Instead of running to the store every other week for Navy and Duke’s food, we stock up on food and treats once a month or even every other month. We love that their favorite treats from Vital Essentials Raw now come in a larger, family friendly pack!
- Invest in reusables and limit single use products
Even though we are not going out as often as we used to, we always try to have water on hand for Duke and Navy. Rather than pack a plastic water bottle or two for the pups, we use our reusable water bottles and bowls to keep them hydrated.
As much as I love my swiffer to pick up Navy and Duke’s corgi glitter off our hardwood floors, I don’t love tossing one of the pads in the trash after every use. We started to use reusable microfiber cloths for sweeping up Navy and Duke’s fur. We also try to use towels to wipe Navy and Duke’s paws rather than wipes.
- Donate!
We are so lucky to be gifted so many things for Duke and Navy. But a lot of times, we don’t need all the things gifted to us. Rather than tossing it, we love donating these items to a local shelter or our vet’s office.
- Pick up that poo!
Yup. You heard that right. Pick up your pet’s poop! Your dog’s poop carries disease causing bacteria and can contain parasites. When it eventually breaks down, it will wash into the water supply, potentially polluting our local waterways. Just pick it up, every time!
Try using biodegradable bags to scoop your pet’s poop. In a matter of a few months these bags will dissolve whereas plastic poo bags could take hundreds of years to break down. Also, if you have a yard, consider investing in a pooper scooper!
- Make your own dog toys
Why is it that our dogs are more interested in playing with our old socks than they are with alllll the toys we buy for them? When Navy was a puppy she used to love playing with Zach’s socks and all his old water bottles. She loved it so much so that we decided to make her a “sock water bottle toy.” I swear, it is one of her favorite toys. From time to time I catch Zach setting aside a few socks to make her a new sock water bottle. She is so loved!
- Vote with your dollar
As consumers, how you choose to spend your money is really powerful. With demand comes supply, so one of the most effective ways to enact change is to and support companies that produce environmentally friendly products whenever possible. Here are a few of our favorite eco-friendly pet companies: Earthborn Holistic, Kong, Wondercide, Planet Dog, Earth Rated, West Paw, and Earth Animal. We added some of our favorite products from these companies and more to our Amazon page!
There really are so many things we can do to help minimize our environmental impact (and our pets’). These are just a few ways that help us live a greener life with pets.
It is important to remember that every action whether large or small, has a ripple effect on our environment. If you have a pet or not, please consider some of these tips to reduce some of those effects.
Let me know in the comments what you think of our eco-friendly tips. Do you have anything to add?
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what do you think?