Colleges have embraced pets for students to help them cope with the stress and anxiety from the ups and downs of college life. According to research, college students who own a pet experience less anxiety and are generally less stressed. Despite the many advantages, it is unfortunate that your pet might be contributing to environmental pollution directly or indirectly. However, there is a way to correct this. The trick involves embracing eco-friendly practices when taking care of your pet. Here are a few eco-friendly tips for you and your pet.
Eco-Friendly Pet Food
Food is necessary for a pet’s survival, but have you ever considered that by choosing the right food, you can spread the gospel of eco-friendly practices to manufacturers? You can choose to purchase organic food over processed alternatives to support farmers who practice environmentally friendly practices such as organic farming. If you have to purchase processed products, prioritize eco-friendly companies that apply sustainability practices during the production process and use recyclable packaging.
If you have a pet that is on a plant-based diet, it would be prudent to go for organic plant-based feed. Though it may be more costly, it can go a long way in supporting environmentally friendly production. Besides, buying food products that are less harmful to the ecosystem means protecting your pet from the effects of consuming processed chemical foods.
If your pet consumes meat-based foods, make sure the sources are from sustainable farms by looking at labels. There are certain labels that you should look out for to know where the meat is from. They include “grass-fed” or “pasture.” These labels mean the animals were not fed processed food.
If you are considering feeding your pet with animal protein, then you can choose chicken as it has a lower carbon footprint. You can also make your own pet food and treats instead of buying them. It prevents packaging waste and gives you the power over the ingredients – you are able to choose environmentally friendly ingredients. A bonus is that it’ll save you some money that you can use for other expenditures like vet visits or sorting personal things like hiring academic writers at essayusa.com.
Environment-Friendly Packaging
Another sustainable move is choosing packaging that has minimal environmental impact. At the time of buying feed for pets packed in bags or products like a dental stick for dogs, check if the bags are recyclable or if the manufacturer supports recycling and reusing by looking for the symbols indicating it. Through buying pet foods that come wrapped in recycled material, you’ll be sending a message to manufacturers that pet owners prefer sustainable approaches.
Also, use reusable bags or boxes when you buy the pet’s food instead of plastic bags from the store. It’ll help minimize landfills caused by plastic waste. Moreover, buy food that is just enough for your pet, depending on its eating habits, to avoid waste, especially if you have no storage facilities. Choosing eco-friendly food helps you to keep your friend healthy and save the environment.
Sustainable Pet Hygiene Practices
Waste elimination is an ordinary biological procedure, and it’s not something to be feared. Nonetheless, you can manage your pets in an environmentally sound manner. If you have a pet that has fur, such as a dog, it relieves itself about three times a day. Although we are used to using plastic bags to pick up pet waste, bear in mind that plastic waste is non-degradable and adds to general pollution. Instead of using plastic bags, use biodegradable bags – bags that quickly decompose after a short period. You can also use bags that have been manufactured from waste materials from consumer products.
When washing pets, follow procedures that will keep them clean but at the same time save water. Always keep water in a basin or tab so as not to waste it. It will save water and water bills, too.
Additionally, you don’t need to go overboard about bathing your pets. Some pets don’t need daily full baths; you can sometimes use spot cleaning, which focuses on the dirty areas. It will help you save time and conserve water. It is good to prioritize your pet’s hygiene but not at the expense of the environment.
Planet-Friendly Pet Toys
Pets are playful creatures, and they require toys to entertain themselves instead of distracting you with their playfulness when you are trying to do homework. To make sure that your toy selection is green, purchase those made of eco-friendly materials. It can include wood or natural rubber.
Most toys made from nature-friendly materials are long-lasting as they do not break easily; hence, they don’t end up in bins as waste products. If the toys you need do not come in nature-friendly materials, look for recycled ones that come at a lower environmental cost than new ones. Moreover, you can make toys by recycling materials in your room, such as clothes. It will not be fancy, but it will do the trick by saving money and conserving the environment.
In the case of electronic toys, be sure to check their power consumption. A major hack is to always look for toys indicated as power-saving. Currently, toy manufacturers are coming up with alternatives to electricity toys by introducing solar-enabled toys or rechargeable batteries. If they are available, they should be your first pick since they will help reduce electricity intake.
Better still, if you are looking for interactive toys, prioritize ones that do not need electricity. However, if it is a must to have an electric toy, switch off the sockets after use and avoid leaving your pet to play with the toys unsupervised, as they usually get tired and stop using them, which only leads to wastage. Overall, make sure you conserve electricity.
Wrapping Up
Our pets are, without a doubt, some of our best friends. They reduce stress and make us happy. Nevertheless, they may be causing environmental pollution either directly or indirectly. Practice eco-friendly habits that promote the well-being of your pets as well as the environment to minimize pollution. Using the above tips, both you and your pet can become the front liners of eco-friendly actions in the fight to make the world a better place.
