One of our resolutions/goals/intentions this year is to be more eco-conscious when making purchasing and lifestyle decisions. To be honest, we want to leave our kids a better and healthier planet– but are also looking for convenience and affordability (pretty much above all else!). 

With that in mind, we’re talking to an expert about the little things we can do that will make a big difference for our environment.

ASK AN EXPERT: Making Eco-Conscious Decisions as Parents

We sat down with sustainability expert Ushma Pandya, co-founder and partner at ThinkZeroLLC.com, a waste reduction firm, to talk about sustainability. 

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A lot of parents want to make more eco-conscious decisions, but don’t know where to start. Any tips if you’re just starting out? 

The number one way to work on waste reduction is by working on food waste. Food waste is 35% of what gets sent to landfills each year. Try to buy less– only what you need. Also order less at restaurants because if you’re still hungry, you can always order more. And try to participate in food donation apps. 

What are some food donation apps that you like? 

I recommend joining your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook. It’s an experiment in creating local gifting economies– there is no exchange of money. For example, I just made a ton of cookie dough with my kids, but we weren’t going to eat it all. So I posted it, and local families came to pick it up and made cookies themselves. And because it’s local, it’s really just an organized way to borrow and lend stuff to your friends and neighbors. 

What about composting?

Composting is turning your food scraps into fertilizer instead of sending them to the landfill. So I have a bin by my sink where I put my leftover food. And every week I drop it off at the local compost service. If you have a backyard, you can also compost yourself. 

Besides food, what else can parents do to cut down on waste? 

I think for parents who have kids in the 0-3 age group, gently used is a great option because your kids may not like what you buy them or only wear it once. I almost exclusively bought second-hand or got items from friends when my kids were younger. Of course, Markid is a great option for getting gently-used clothing and other items. 

What’s the deal with cloth diapers? 

You can do one of two things- I liked the brand Charlie Banana, and have a washing machine in my apartment, so I washed my diapers. You can also use a diaper service, which exists in big cities around the country. They will pick up dirty diapers and drop off the clean diapers so you don’t need to do the wash. One benefit is that you wind up potty training your kids much earlier because your kids know they’re sitting in a wet diaper.  

And for people who feel like they’re just one person and it’s not going to make a difference? 

I think movements are created by individuals. And as a parent, you’re sharing your philosophy with your kids and raising them to do things a little differently. We were trained in less than a generation to create all this new garbage and single-use plastic, so we can train ourselves to go back.