Spring Greening: 5 Manageable Ways To Help The Environment As A Family

Union Square market, photo by Brandon King

Raising a healthy, happy family in New York City can be a daunting task on its own without even attempting to worry about your carbon footprint. But if you’re like most of us, you’ve probably felt compelled to go green in at least one area of your life. Maybe you bring your own shopping bags to the store, pack snacks and lunches in reusable containers, or partake in “Meatless Mondays” by cooking delicious vegetarian meals for your family each week. There are plenty more fun, educational, and family-friendly ways you can take your greenness to the next level—while saving money to boot!

1. Making Your Own Household Products
Save green by going green. You can make your own natural, non-toxic cleaners or beauty products from a variety of ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. NYC green mom Alexandra Zissu always keeps baking soda, vinegar, and plant-based dish soap on hand. This way, she says, “I can make any cleaning product I need without contributing to air pollution, both indoors and out.”

Create a disinfecting household cleaner by submerging lemon peel scraps in white vinegar, refrigerating for two weeks, and then diluting with water. For an instant version, you can mix lemon juice with vinegar and water. (Extra benefit: No need to child-lock these cleaning solutions!) Even the kids can help make a sugar scrub to soothe dry hands and feet. Just mix a 2:1 ratio of sugar to coconut or olive oil and add a few drops of essential oils—vanilla or lemon are particularly delicious. For more DIY ideas, this personal finance blog provides some unexpected inspiration: blog.checkadvantage.com.

2. Composting (Three Ways To Do It)
Composting is not only a great way to “recycle” your food scraps, it can also be a fun science experiment for little ones. Keeping food discards out of landfills reduces the amount of methane (a dangerous greenhouse gas) that is released into the atmosphere when decomposing food has no access to air and moisture. Composting is a great way for kids to better understand our relationship to food and the land, and relatively easy methods for doing so in small spaces have made urban composting more and more popular among apartment-dwellers.

For the worm inclined, there’s vermicomposting, a common and mess-free form of indoor composting that combines worms, newspaper, soil or leaves, and food scraps in a ventilated bin, where organic matter breaks down. If you have a hands-on, science-loving kid, you may be interested in attending an NYC Compost Project Workshop, where you can purchase a bin and one pound of worms for $44. For the squeamish, there’s Bokashi, a fermentation system in which almost all food scraps can be buried as a slow-release fertilizer because the matter doesn’t break down fully. Finally, you can also simply store your produce scraps in a composting pail with a charcoal filter for up to four days before dropping them off at an NYC Green Market location or donating to a community garden, park, or compost drop off site.

3. Biking It
Bicycling is not only fun for the whole family, it’s also one of the greenest forms of transport and a great means of getting in shape. The NYC Department of Transportation has developed several protected bike lanes throughout the city, reducing traffic injuries by more than 40 percent, according to the New York Observer. If you’re not quite comfortable teaching your kids to ride, check out services like Bike New York or City Bike Coach, bicycle schools and coaching services for all ages that also offer free weekend rides. You can put old bikes to good use by donating them to Recycle-A-Bicycle, a non-profit organization and community-based bike shop that refurbishes old bikes, even offering youth programs like art workshops. Another resource: The nyc.gov website publishes biking tips, parking maps, and info on how to snag a free helmet.

4. Buying Organic & Local
Worried about what your children are eating? You should be! Researchers at Environmental Working Group analyzed findings of residue tests conducted by the USDA and found that 78 different pesticides were found on lettuce samples, 64 on grapes, and 42 on blueberries. Organic foods—which are regulated by the USDA and grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers irradiation, industrial solvents, or biotechnology—not only have a higher nutritional value, they are also infinitely better for the environment. According to the Washington Post, organic farming uses about 50 percent less energy than conventional farming—and reduces pollutants in groundwater that might otherwise end up in your drinking glass. While there are some foods that you actually should not eat organic (like kiwis and bananas), EWG’s list of “dirty dozen” produce items and 12 other low-pesticide fruits and veggies are a great guide for what you should always buy organic (like apples, potatoes, onions, and avocado).

Another important aspect to keep in mind when greening your grocery shopping experience is buying local. Food co-ops and farmer’s markets can not only help reduce the cost of buying organic, but also stimulate the local economy by partnering with farmers from upstate New York and Connecticut and save energy by eliminating long-distance transportation. NYC Greenmarket produce is often harvested less than 24 hours before market, making it fresher than store-bought, which is sometimes picked up to seven days before appearing on your grocer’s shelves. Shopping farmer’s markets can also be a delicious, hands-on approach to teaching your children about seasonal fruits and veggies and where our food comes from.

5. Upcycling

Children know all about upcycling, the process of converting old, worn or useless materials into something new and useful. This is why they quickly get rid of a gift so they can make use of the cardboard box. Now you can feel good that they’re removing those otherwise useless items from ending up in a landfill…all it takes is a spark of creativity and a dash of ingenuity! Whether it’s teddy bears made from socks, snow globes made from food jars, or t-shirts printed with sandpaper and crayon, the options are limitless. Get more ideas at pinterest.com/newyorkfamily/upcycled.

Color Me Mine

Color Me Mine Upper West Side proudly stands as a minority woman-owned studio, and we've been an integral part of the Color Me Mine franchise system since 2018! Pottery painting isn't just an activity; it's a captivating and inclusive experience that transcends age and skill levels. At Color Me Mine Upper West Side, we extend a warm invitation to dive into a realm of creativity, self-expression, and connection. Families, friends and teams grow stronger bonds when they create memories together, and at Color Me Mine, we're here to help facilitate those moments. Whether you're seeking a delightful family outing, a unique date night, or a solo adventure, our paint-your-own-pottery studio offers boundless possibilities. Step into our welcoming space in the heart of Lincoln Center and unleash your inner artist. Create unforgettable memories as you craft beautiful ceramic masterpieces to cherish for many years to come. Color Me Mine Upper West Side is also the preferred venue for celebrations of all kinds. Whether you're planning a birthday party, a baby or bridal shower, a team-building event, a gathering for college groups, an enriching field trip, or an adventure with scouts, we've got you covered. Our versatile space and passionate team provides the perfect setting for creating unforgettable memories and fostering creativity in every guest. Join us at Color Me Mine Upper West Side, at 177 Amsterdam Avenue in New York City where every visit promises a fun journey of color, joy, and artistic exploration!

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

Adventuring Portal

<a name="m_-1473885667065203258__Hlk72147528"></a>Adventuring Portal runs Dungeons and Dragons (D&amp;D) games for kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We have created a safe online space for tweens and teens to learn and play D&amp;D. Our D&amp;D Summer Camp session are a one-week experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Monday &ndash; Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each day will be 3 hours of gaming (with 2 breaks build in).&nbsp;&nbsp;15 total gaming hours for $180.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you have played with us before, you are entitled to 10% off.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Need your kids, nieces or nephews, grand kids or neighbor&rsquo;s kids to be occupied for a bit so you can get work done &amp; take care of your to-do list? Maybe your tween or teen is still a bit isolated and craves connection with their peers? Whether your teen/tween has played D&amp;D before or is brand-new to the experience, this safe space brings players together to have fun and solve problems as a team in ways few other online opportunities do. All our games focus on experiential learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our players leave knowing all the basic game play as well as experiencing: teamwork, bravery, compassion, generosity, negotiation, improvisation, gamer etiquette, strategy, critical thinking, problem solving, cartography and probability - all through online D&amp;D adventuring! We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum.&nbsp; All girls&rsquo; groups available.&nbsp; I am a parent, a certified elementary school and middle school math teacher and last summer in the midst of the mess started&nbsp;Adventuring Portal, an&nbsp;online Dungeons &amp; Dragons&nbsp;business&nbsp;for kids. There are so many benefits to playing D&amp;D and I hope you will consider us as a great way for your child to safely socialize, grow as people and have a great time.