Environment Watch: Green is the new black for stylish teens
Ways that teens can feel good about when going green.
1. Paper or plastic? Neither: Outfit your family with reusable bags-the funkier the better-and get your teen into the habit of refusing the disposable kind when shopping.
2. Green is gorgeous: Encourage your fashionista teenager to buy from eco-friendly companies when it comes to clothing and makeup, like The Body Shop (http://www.thebodyshop.ca) or Mountain Equipment Co-op (http://www.mec.ca)
3. Encourage environmental efforts: Help your child find an environmental passion by joining programs designed for teens.At the Canon Envirothon (http://www.envirothon.org), North America’s largest high school environmental education competition, teams to solve real environmental issues through in-class curriculum and hands-on field experiences.
4. Coffee to go: Get your teen a reusable travel mug to cut down on waste. Note that if you want your teen to actually use the mug, let him or her choose it and don’t expect your style-conscious high schooler to use the freebie you got at the gas station.
5. Go gadget green: When your teen upgrades their electronic device, encourage them to recycle or passed it on to someone else. Organizations like ThINK Food / Phones-for-Food accept cellphones and printer cartridges for recycling, which in turn raises funds for local food banks (http://www.think-food.com).
Credit: http://www.newscanada.com