These days, it’s hard to get the kids off the couch with the Internet and video games to contend with, let alone get the whole family together for a group project. However, if you are so inclined to give it a shot and get your family to connect on something around the home that will do everyone some good, why not start a family garden?

There are several benefits to having a garden, and when you add the whole family, it becomes extra special. You can teach your children a little bit about nature, the current condition of the planet, the rewarding feeling of growing your own food, and save money at the same time!

Growing your own food in the yard with the family can also be a great way to bond and get together on a regular basis. You can all share in the reward of the delicious first dinner that was made with fresh fruits and vegetables that came from the garden you all grew together.

Here are a few tips to get started on your first family garden:

• Prepare and plan
  The biggest reason that people don’t have a garden is that they don’t understand what’s involved or know where to start. get everyone in the family involved, read up a bit on gardening and plan out the start date on a weekend when the whole family is available for a few hours.
• Decide what you will eat
  Choosing what it is you want to grow can depend on the time of year you are starting the garden and what the climate is like in your area. However, you still should have plenty to choose from.
• Go organic
  If you want the true experience and also stick to the whole green living family idea theme, then be sure to use organic gardening products, fertilizers, and insect repellents. You don’t have to use chemical pesticides. Adding friendly insects like ladybugs will take care of the pests. Also, this allows you fresh food that can be eaten straight out of the ground, if so desired.
• The garden tour
  Be sure to take your kids through a quick daily tour of the family garden so they can watch nature at work as well as feel the rewarding sense of accomplishment as their food pushes through the soil

All of us celebrate something at least a few times a year with holidays, birthdays, and other celebrations. Often, these celebrations, especially the elaborate ones, end up with a lot of disposable waste that is not very environmentally friendly.

Green living can take a bit of creative thinking on your part, especially when putting together a party atmosphere but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, after you’ve done one or two celebrations with more eco-friendly items, you begin to enjoy thinking of fun ways to add more to the mix.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you celebrate the green living way:

• Crafty decorations
  For those of you who are crafty, you can make your decorations and not only save money, but save on plastic packaging that it comes in fro the store. Plus it’ll be fun and you can include the kids!
• Shred your costs
  Instead of buying tissue paper (the price is way too high for that stuff anyway!), why not just use paper that needed to be shredded in the office anyway?
• Decorate with recyclables
  Instead of wrapping paper for gifts, why not creatively use old magazines or have the kids color on a cardboard box? You’d be surprised how much people appreciate the personalized effort.
• Donate to charity
  There’s nothing as great as giving a donation to a person’s favorite charity in their name. You’re helping someone else in need, and saving the planet by not buying packaging materials as well.
• Reusable containers
  When you send your friends home with goodies and leftovers from the party, be sure to use reusable containers so that you’re not adding more disposable waste to the landfills.
• Potluck party
  Why not have everyone bring something to eat/drink to the party. They can all bring something in their own dishware and they’ll be taking their own dishes home. Not only is this idea eco-friendly, but it saves you from cleaning up a lot of mess.

Many people unfortunately still have the perception that saving the planet is something separate than doing something to help ourselves. When you do something to help the environment, you are also helping all of us who live on it since without a healthy planet, we would not survive.

So, even if you can’t wrap your head around that concept yet, there are ways you can “go green” and give back while being kind to the environment at the same time. Giving away stuff that you no longer need to charity is a perfect way to keep more trash out of landfills and do some good for people who are in need.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Clothing
  Unfortunately, your favorite clothes don’t last forever, but the good thing is that there are tons of people in the world who would greatly appreciate your hand-me-downs. Donate your old clothing and help keep fellow human beings warm. You also help the planet by not adding to the trash and reusing items.
• Books and magazines
  Your local library will absolutely love you if you cart over all those old books and magazines that you no longer need.  Depending on the topics, your schools or churches might be able to use them as well. Getting rid of all those can usually free up a lot of space in your house or garage too!
• Computers, Phones, Furniture, etc.
  Even if you have stuff that needs some “fixin’”, there are charities that accept old, beaten down stuff that they can fix up and give to people who can’t afford items that they need in their home.

Giving to charity is a great feeling, and not only do you help other people and save the environment from unnecessary trash, you set a great example for your children. You can even make it a fun family affair and get your kids involved and teach them the value in helping others and protecting the planet.