4 Creative Ways to Have Eco-Friendly Fun This Summer

Summer’s just around the corner, and soon families around the country will be celebrating the warm weather by hitting the pools, going on bike rides, and embarking on family vacations. This year, though, why not try to incorporate some eco-friendliness into your summer activities? It’s easy to do, and it will be good for both your family and the environment.  For example, here are four creative ways you can have eco-friendly fun this summer.

1)      Join a Clean-Up Hike. If you enjoy hiking, you should put your talents to good use this summer and join dozens of other nature-lovers on a clean-up hike in your area. What is a clean-up hike you ask? Well, it’s a group outing designed to keep our parks and forests free from litter and debris. Hikers gather at the start of the trail with a bag and trash stick, and then they embark on a leisurely stroll, stopping to pick up any trash they see along the way. These hikes are a great way to get some exercise while doing your part for the environment.

2)      Upcycle Some Patio Furniture. Now that summer’s here, a lot of people will be spending money on new outdoor furniture. However, it’s much more affordable and also better for the environment to just build some new patio furniture yourself. Don’t worry – this is a lot easier than it sounds. All you need are a few discarded shipping pallets, a sander, some wood glue and a spare cushion or two. Using these plans from The Fun Times Guide, you can build yourself an entire set of weatherproof pallet patio furniture in just one weekend.

3)      Go Camping in Your Backyard. The backyard campout is a tried and true summer pastime. It combines all the thrills of camping – the s’mores, the sing-alongs, and the scary stories – with the comforts of the suburbs – which include an opossum-free campsite and indoor plumbing. This fun, low-stress activity should definitely be featured on every family’s summer to-do list, especially since it helps your household reduce its carbon footprint by cutting your power usage for the evening. For some ideas on how to make your backyard camping adventure great, check out this guide at Parenting.com.

4)      Visit a local Farmers’ Market. Summer is a great time to teach your kids about where their food comes from by visiting a local farmers’ market. Get the little ones excited about eating healthy by allowing each member of your family to pick out any three items of produce they want, and then plan family dinners that feature those ingredients. By eating organically, you’ll help support local farmers and the environment and you’ll be doing your body a few favors as well.

There are so many eco-friendly ways to have fun this summer that it’s impossible to list them all in just one blog post. When looking for activities for your family, let your creativity be your guide. Try to incorporate the concepts of recycling, reducing energy usage, conservation and education into all sorts of unique and original activities – and feel free to share what you come up with in the comments below!

Biofriendly Blog wants to thank Lucy Clark for her insightful, and eco-friendly guest post. Lucy Clark is an editor for DIYMother.org and a master at refurbishing old furniture. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her daughters and tending to her produce garden.

Images by Echo Valley Ranch and zetrules via Flickr Creative Commons