Reduce waste and learn more about where your food comes from by making something new at home
Things you might buy from a store often have a large carbon footprint. This means that all of the steps taken to make, package, and transport goods and get them into a store have a negative impact on the environment and contribute to global climate change.
Think about the yogurt you buy from a store. First, a big dairy farm raises cows and collects milk. Then, that farm transports the milk to a factory to make yogurt and perhaps another factory to put the yogurt into plastic tubs. Then, the tubs of yogurt are shipped to your grocery store on a big refrigerated truck. Every factory, truck, and car along the way must burn fuel, contributing to climate change or worldwide temperature rise. Climate change will dramatically change the way humans live on this planet and have major effects on our communities, health, food, and more. Learn more about climate change here.
Things you buy in the store come in plastic packages that have to be thrown away. Plastic is very hard to get rid of. In fact, only 9% is ever recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or in the ocean, where it can take hundreds of years to degrade. Even then, the plastic will only break into smaller and smaller pieces over time.
Making items at home is a fun way to save money, reduce waste, and lower your carbon footprint.
Make your own bread:
There are a lot of great recipes out there for an easy loaf of bread. Here are a couple of our favorites:
- King Arthur Baking- The Easiest Loaf of Bread You'll Ever Bake
- Taste of Home- Basic Homemade Bread
- New York Times- No-Knead Bread
Make your own yogurt:
Check out our blog here to learn how to make your own yogurt.
Make your own cleaning spray:
Click here to read our blog with 3 different ways to make your own cleaning spray.
Make something else:
Have another idea for something you often buy from the store but can also make at home? We can't wait to hear about it!
Take a photo of your homemade item and share it on social media. Make sure to tag @peancorg and #PEAYoungLeaders to be entered into the weekly Young Eco Leaders Raffle.
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