6 Healthy Air Habits for Kids

Fall’s back-to-school reset is a good time to establish routines—and learn new things. Here, six ways to help kids understand how they can help reduce air pollution and improve air quality. Consider it a crash course on healthy air habits!

1. Bike or walk to school.

For older kids who live close to school, this is a fun, quick way to cut back on the carbon footprint. Biking or walking are healthy, active options, but buses, trains and carpooling are other fantastic options to cut back on pollution when it comes to commuting to class.

2. Recycle or compost.

Think twice before throwing something out. Recycling and repurposing can be much less toxic than adding to the trash pile up that pollutes the air. Organic recycling programs can also reduce the amount of garbage in landfills. Types of organics kids can help sort? All food scraps, pizza boxes, paper egg cartons, certified compostable plastics, plus many other items.

3. Help clean up.

Encourage kids to lend a hand and some elbow grease to clean up at school and around the house with natural household cleaners. Non-toxic, all-purpose cleaners can remove dirt and dust from table tops, desks and counters so those particles don’t circulate into the air.

4. Remove shoes.

When kids get home have them take off their shoes. Keep a basket at the door to collect every pair that comes in so that dirt doesn’t track inside and waft up into breathing space. Your home will stay much cleaner and you won’t have to spend that last 10 minutes in the morning looking for a lost shoe!

5. Turn it off.

Turning off lights and computers when leaving the bedroom or home office reduces the amount of energy we are using, which leads to less carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere.

6. Get a plant.

Simple potted, living houseplants are lovely to look at and pump more fresh air into the room. Feels like a win-win.