My favorite and sometimes scariest season is rapidly approaching! What are you up to this summer? If you are like me I’m frantically trying to think of things to do with my not so young kids (age 12 and 14), to keep them outside and learning, in a fun way! My young teens are certainly at an age where getting the latest ‘it’ thing and consuming video games are high priorities. My goal is to spend as much time as possible outside. Taking small steps to live more sustainably is also very important to me, but even more important is instilling this value onto my kids. Summer is by far my favorite time of year and I love the lazy warm days. But I’m guilty of the lazy part too, so I put together some ideas of ways to have a greener summer in Flagstaff!
- Take a quiz! Ok, this is not really avoiding screens now, is it? But it is fast, fun and very educational! You and your kids can take a fun a quick quiz about Flagstaff’s specific recycling rules here.
- Hike, bike and maybe even bike to the hiking trailhead! We are certainly in the right town for summer hikes! We love strolls and bike rides on the Urban Trail System as well as harder hikes in the forest. I love this resource for local hikes.
- Start a Garden. This is certainly not my forte but I occasionally have some success. I think it is part luck and a lot due to the Flagstaff Planting Guide, which can be purchased at these local shops.
- Clean up trash! Just go do it!
- Tour our landfill. This was very eye-opening and motivating after the 1st time I toured this place!
- Check out what’s going on at Willow Bend Environmental Education Center.
- Head to the Sunday Community Farmer’s Market where you can shop local and buy locally grown food (and treats too).
- The library can be a fun outing to bike or walk to, and maybe check out some books on sustainability while you are there!
- I am on a volunteer needed email list from the Flagstaff Family Food Center. It keeps me motivated to keep going back. There are also some volunteer ideas here as well as a large list of Flagstaff nonprofits here.
- Start a movement! I am always so inspired to hear about the great things kids are doing to help save our planet. Maybe your kids want to start a neighborhood trash pickup then pizza day. Or maybe they can set up a battery collection bin. The list is endless, and we would love to hear what ideas they come up with!
