Unilever #BrightFuture Challenge!

Im ashamed to admit that the future and being "green" and economical is something that barely crossed my mind before I became a parent, however becoming a parent total changed my view on all this.

As a parent we of course want the best for our children but that doesn't just stop at home, it should extend to the world we live in and how we treat it too. I was recently invited to take part in the #brightfutures challenge with Unilever and it has definitely been an eye opener. Its made us as a family look at the things we already do, the choices and decisions we make and things we could improve on.

Unilever’s #BrightFuture initiative focuses on small changes that can make big differences and how we can build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably. Since the launch of the Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever has helped 482 million people to improve their health and hygiene, including through hand washing, improving self-esteem and oral hygiene.

What we are doing -

Recycling - This is a big one for everyone and something we should all be doing and its so simple to do too! We have separate large plastic containers for each thing such as plastic, glass, cardboard etc which the kids regularly help us to do. I think its so important to teach them about recycling and just how much of a difference it can make. We had for some reason put off recycling food waste but recently started and its been a real eye opener about just how much food waste we had!

Recycling doesn't have to stop at just boxing things up, we often use cardboard boxes, tubes, sheets etc as well as bits of wrapping paper, bubble wrap and old unused wall paper for crafting. The kids love creating pictures of cuts off from the wall paper when we are decorating.

Using less water - Using less water is something we make a conscious effort to do and its so simple to do. Turning off the tap whilst brushing our teeth saves water from just running down the drain and washing at 30 can make a huge difference.

As part of the campaign we received some Persil Non Bio washing detergent which is perfect for getting those clothes clean, especially the children's! Persil is encouraging our children to get outside and play, inspiring them to grow and learn and enjoy being outdoors. When washing clothes we could use less water and wash at lower temperatures, helping to educate our children about the little changes we can implement to make a difference. Furthermore, Persil has backed a global initiative ‘Learning for Tomorrow’ partnering with UNICEF to help give children in some of the world’s toughest areas the opportunity of a quality education.

Reusable Bags - With the 5p bag charge now in place reusable bags are becoming much more popular and that is great! I actually find reusable bags so much easier with less risk of breaking whilst I dash from the car to the house and they also seem to hold much more! We recently started using Trolley Bags which have been so easy to use and taking away our need to use plastic carriers completely.

What we are going to do -

Both myself and my husband have recently been discussing an allotment. I would absolutely love to have our own little space on an allotment where we can grow our own food and also teach the kids about growing how food is grown and where it comes from. I think this would definitely be a big step for us but one I am hoping we can take next year!

With lots of our children now learning about more environmentally friendly and more sustainable ways to live its no surprise that six out of ten parents saying that they have started to live in a ‘greener’ way at home at the suggestion of their children. I think its great that schools can encourage our children like this, teaching them from a young age just how important it is. 

We live in a country where we often take "little luxuries" like clean fresh running water and education for our children for granted and campaigns like this make me realise just how lucky we really are. I think the work Unilever and the #BrightFutures campaign is doing is amazing and something we could all take a look at to make those changes.

What steps do you, or would you like to take to create a brighter future for our children?

xXx

This post is an entry for BritMums #brightFuture Challenge, sponsored by Unilever.