Sweet, Green Summertime: Eco-Friendly Summer Activities

Sweet summertime. The phrase itself makes us smile. Warm sun, no school, happy kids, summer camp, slip ‘n slides… June through August, there are endless possibilities for fun!

Below, find our top suggestions for “green” fun in the sun this coming season:

Get outside!

With the warm weather and sunshine comes the opportunity for a number of outdoors activities: hiking, nature walks, biking, roller blading, swimming, camping… the list goes on.

Get up! Get off the couch! Get the kids outside and out in nature! The more your children enjoy the great outdoors, the more inclined they will be to take measures to protect the planet in their adult lives.

Take a moment to explain global warming issues to your children: explain what is causing climate change and global warming, how to stop global warming, etc. Early education is one of the best ways to ensure an eco-friendly mentality for future generations!

Visit Local Ecological Hot Spots

A trip to the park, local botanical garden, nursery, or organic farm is a wonderful way to take the kids on a “green” field trip, not to mention another way to instill an appreciation for nature/the environment.

Gardening

Summer is the perfect time to get in the green thumb groove. Check out our tips for growing your own garden (in the most eco-friendly way possible), in our post from last week.

Pool Time

Is there anything better than a cool dip in the pool on a hot summer’s day? We can’t think of much. To conserve energy, be sure to set your pool filter to the lowest setting possible for efficiency/safety, and check out these tips for eco-friendly pool maintenance. If you’re planning on building a pool in your backyard this summer, these natural pools are simply lovely, not to mention a greener way to cool down!

Sprinklers

Running around in the sprinklers is almost a right of passage for kids during childhood summers. This summer, create an eco-friendly sprinkler system with these tips:

1. Use a recycled bottle to create an awesome, do-it-yourself sprinkler. NOTE: This is a project for the adults to complete, as it requires the use of tools.
2. On a day when you plan to be watering your garden or lawn, let the kids run around in the sprinkler where, regardless of their play, you would normally be watering. From time to time, move the sprinkler’s location. This way, you’re conserving water instead of giving the garden a double dose.  Two birds, one stone!
3. Enjoy! Keep the time limited to 15 or 20 minutes, so that you’re not wasting water.

Do you have any tips, ideas, or suggestions for eco-friendly summer fun? We’d love to hear them in the comments, below, or on Facebook or Twitter (linked)!

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