Are you looking for ways to get your whole family involved in your efforts to create a more sustainable lifestyle? By spreading awareness among our family members and raising our children to be mindful of how their actions impact the environment, we can work together to create a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future world.
In this article, we’ll give you a few tips on how you can teach your family about renewable energy and help cultivate a more eco-friendly home.
Teach By Example
It’s old news that children watch more than they listen, but this principle applies to every member of the family — regardless of age. The best way for you to teach your family about the importance and benefits of renewable energy is to show them. You can go on and on about how great solar energy is, but they need to see the magic for themselves.
In other words, practice what you preach. Now, we’re not saying you have to dump your savings account into a brand new set of solar panels for your home if you can’t actually afford it. You can use renewable energy on a much smaller scale, and you can let your young family members experiment with it as well.
Add a few solar powered gadgets to your home for your family to experience for themselves on a daily basis. For example, solar powered phone chargers, garden ornaments, nightlights, or a fun novelty desk toy that moves when it’s charged.
Let Them Experiment
Conducting small, easy science experiments with the whole family is always a fun way to get everyone involved and learn something new. There are so many different experiments that you can do to teach your family about how renewable energy works, and they range from super simple to adequately complex (for the older members of the family who want a real challenge).
Perhaps the easiest form of renewable energy to demonstrate is wind power. Use common household items to craft simple, lightweight sailboats or model cars (basically anything with wheels), add wind resistance in the form of a sail, and watch the wind push your creations around.
You can also experiment with mini solar panels or solar cells to figure out what you can power with the sun’s energy, like a self-made Lego. This will require a little electrical knowledge on your part. Or you can opt for a much easier demonstration of solar power and craft the crowd-pleasing solar-powered oven.
If you’re not all that skilled with creating science experiments for the kids, don’t sweat it. There are plenty of activities and kits that you can purchase online.
Don’t Forget Cause and Effect
It’s not enough to lead by example and let your kids experiment with renewable energy kits; you’ve got to help them understand the why. Why does renewable energy matter? Why should you put solar panels on your roof? Why should we care?
When renewable energy is used, our society can work together to create a better future and decrease our negative impact on the world in which we live. If we take action now to implement eco-awareness into our home, we can create a more sustainable household in the future. Give them a purpose, a reason to take action.
Help Others
If you’re looking for a way to get your family involved in renewable energy opportunities within the community or even in the world, check out MPOWERD. MPOWERD provides solar powered lights to kids in communities that do not have a reliable source of energy. They have created the first inflatable solar light for people to use solar in any situation, created for developing countries in times of need. So, whether you are camping or wanting to contribute to your emergency preparedness kit, using their solar light source is always an option. They are lightweight, portable, and water-proof which make them the perfect addition to any emergency kit.
As a family, you can discuss how using MPOWERD products during these activities can benefit you and the environment., Spring Power and Gas has partnered with MPOWERD and for a limited time they are offering 40% off products for Spring customers and their family and friends using promo code SPRING40, check out their products here. For your kids specifically they even have a STEM kit to teach your youngsters about how solar works here.
More Ways to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint
Are you interested in progressing toward a more eco-conscious, sustainable lifestyle? We’ve got loads of ideas for you on our blog, from gardening to gifting! Make the switch to Spring Power and Gas today and join us in our mission of creating a sustainable future.