Living Green When You Have Pets

  Posted on April 22, 2016  by Joy of Living  No comments

Today is Earth Day, but there are steps we can take to make every day Earth Day.  As pet guardians, living green can be easy and reduces the impact our pets have on the environment.

Pets Gone Green, a book written by Eve Adamson, offers tips to help pet guardians live more eco-consciously.

Living Green Tip 1: Composting Pet Waste

Composting pet waste reduces the amount that ends up in landfills.  The pet waste over time can serve as fertilizer for plants and trees.

There are a couple of ways to begin composting pet waste:

• Compost piles.  One is for vegetable gardens and the other is for areas in the yard where there isn’t anything you’ll plan to eat.  Be sure the piles are a distance away from each other (at least 100 yards away from any water source).  Each time you add poop to the pile, cover it with grass clippings, leaves or food scraps.
• Build Pet Waste Disposal System.  This is pretty easy to set up, and lets the pet waste biodegrade and melt back into the soil devoid of harmful bacteria.  For detailed instructions on setting up  a backyard pet disposal system, go to cityfarmer.org

Living Green Tip 2: When You Buy Pet Products, Look For Sustainable Ones

Curb your buying as much as possible but when your pet needs new supplies, look for products made with sustainable ingredients.

Some sustainable materials to look for include:

• Bamboo:  Found in leashes and collars, dog apparel and food and water bowls
• Cork:  Dog Collars
• Hemp: Collars, leashes, rope toys, pet beds
• Recycled Materials such as soda bottles or fabric remnants): Pet beds, collars, leashes and pet toys

Living Green Tip 3: Create Pet Toys From Stuff You Already Have

All of us have old t-shirts on hand, if you have an overabundance of them, cut them into long strips and braid the strips, put knots in both ends, and you have a tug toy for your dog.

Has the washer eaten several of your socks so that you’re left with several single ones?  Stuff them with crumpled paper and some potent organic catnip, then tie or sew the end shut to create a toy for your cat.

Either of these your pet will love, it will get rid of some clutter for you and save you money buying new toys.

For more great tips on living green when you have pets, check out Eve Adamson’s book, Pets Gone Green available on Amazon.com