By Barbara J. Koll, Best Friends Network volunteer
Tips to keep you and your pet “green”
For over 40 years, Earth Day has inspired individuals and organizations across the globe to demonstrate their commitment to the protection and sustainment of our environment. More people than ever are taking notice of the impact they have on the environment and making an effort to live “greener” lives. The pet industry is impacted by this movement with pet parents extending their eco-friendly behavior to food, toys and other products for their furry family members. There are plenty of ways to show Mother Earth how much you care with eco-friendly pet parenting. By lowering your pets’ carbon paw print on the planet you will be saving money also.More and more pet parents are learning how to reduce their animals’ carbon paw print on the environment. Over 70,000 kittens and puppies are born each day in the United States adding to our pets’ impact on the environment. Our pets produce 10 million tons of waste annually. Ground water contamination resulting from the failure to clean up dog parks, backyards and road ways that dogs visit every day is a real health concern for everybody – not just pet parents.
No holiday or celebration is complete unless you share it with your furry best friends. Just like us, our beloved fur babies love to eat and play – but they haven’t yet gotten the concept of recycling and protecting the environment. Below are some “green tips” for your pets that will help make every day “Earth Day.”
Dogs Going Green
- Attend a dog-friendly Earth Day event. Click here to find an event in your community.
- Organize a neighborhood or dog park clean up event. Your dog deserves a clean and beautiful place to walk and play. Click here for tips on organizing a neighborhood clean up event.
- Take a nature hike with your dog on a dog friendly hiking trail. Find a dog friendly trail on HikeWithYourDog.com.
- Use only natural shampoo and grooming products that are biodegradable and do not contain harmful pesticides or chemicals. Instead of using a blow dryer to dry your pet, towel or air dry him/her.
- Choose an earth-friendly, bio-degradable cat litter designed to protect the environment. Clay based litter is not
bio-degradable and does not break down and thereby creates a huge impact on our environment. It is also full of silica dust and can be harmful to a cat’s lungs. The addition of sodium bentonite, a clumping agent, increases the impact on landfills due to its ability to swell up to 15 times its original volume. Clumping agents can also swell inside the cat’s digestive tract if ingested and cause significant internal damage. - Give your cat a kitty bed and scratching post made from sustainable materials such as bamboo plywood, recycled cardboard, hemp and water-based finishes.
- Protect wildlife and birds by keeping your cat indoors or walking him/her on a leash. And remember, outdoor walks are not just for dogs. Taking your cat for a leisurely walk on a leash is a great opportunity for both of you to enjoy the great outdoors and a great conversation starter with your neighbors. Click here for tips on taking your cat for a walk. Click here for a Network article about cat walks at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
- Read more about green living ideas for cats and cat lovers at Green Little Cat.
- There are now lots of toys, dishes, collars, leashes and other pet items made from recycled or organic material. Some pet stores even have sections that feature recycled products.
- Recycle your newspapers and help out homeless pets. Animal shelters and rescue organizations use the old newspapers to line the cages for sanitary reasons. You can also donate towels, bedding, leashes, litter boxes, pet toys and other gently used items that you plan to throw away. Some rescue organizations may also be interested in your old printers, computers, fax machines and other office equipment and furniture. Many organizations have a “wish list” of needed supplies on their websites.
- Go paperless with your support of animal rescue organizations. Make your donations on line and sign up for email newsletters and updates and reduce the amount of mail you send and receive.
- Keep household products away from curious pets. Pesticides, salts, de-icers, and automotive products are all dangerous and potentially lethal to your pets. According to the ASPCA, most pet poisonings come from household products or plants.
- Don’t use bleach for cleaning up your pet’s messes. Use a mixture of vinegar and water instead – it’s a green alternative that removes odors and kills mold and bacteria.
- Cut down on the use of paper products to clean up after your pet. Clean up with old rags or towels or recycled paper towels.
- If you are a gardener, check your mulch. The cocoa hulls that are used in many mulch compounds can be toxic
to pets if ingested. Lawn chemicals can also be toxic to both animals and people. Research gardening practices to find out how to reduce the amount of insecticides and herbicides you might need. - Choose natural and organic pets foods without low-grade animal by-products and preservatives. Natural and organic pet foods use meat products from animals raised in sustainable, humane ways without any added drugs or hormones and are minimally processed and preserved with natural substances.
- Use only natural flea and tick control products on your pets. Talk to your vet about the safest flea and tick control choices.
- Properly dispose of your pets’ unused medication to ensure that they don’t end up in the local water supply. Click here for disposal tips from 1-800-PETMEDS.
- Make your own dog treats and cat treats. Make sure you don’t use garlic, raisings or other obviously potentially toxic ingredients. Recipes can be found on SimplyPets.com and ThePoop.com.
- Buy your pet supplies in bulk or in the largest size available. You will make fewer trips to the store and cut down on the amount of packaging.
- Give your pet filtered tap water instead of bottled water. If you must use bottled water, make sure to recycle the containers.
- Repurpose common household items for cat and dog toys or make your own toys. Pine cones and old socks filled with cotton balls and catnip make great cat toys. Click here for tips on making your own toys. If you must buy toys for your pets, buy toys made with recycled materials or sustainable fibers such as hemp.
- Grow your own organic catnip or cat grass. Leftover yarn or fabric you might otherwise throw away can be easily transformed into unique, one-of-a-kind cat toys.
- Use safe methods for disposing of pet waste. Don’t use plastic shopping bags because plastic lasts forever and does not break down. Pick up after your pet using a biodegradable or flushable bag.
- Spay or neuter your pet. Your pet will live a longer and healthier life and you will not be contributing to an increased number of unwanted animals. That will leave even a larger carbon paw print on our planet.
- Take the Best Friends “pledge to adopt” your next pet from a shelter or rescue group and commit to participating in one of the ultimate forms of “recycling” – giving a new home to an abandoned, abused or stray animal. Over 70,000 puppies and kittens are born each day in the United States who need a loving forever home. Shelters are always overcrowded and these pets are a great bargain. They have already had their shots and been spayed or neutered. Sometimes they have even been microchipped. Check Petfinder.com to see the pets available at a shelter or rescue group in your area.
- Another way to celebrate the earth as a home for animals is to volunteer for a special Earth Day project or learn more about local conservation. Your local zoo, aquarium or wildlife refuge is a great place to learn about conservation in your community. Click here to find out about Best Friends’ participation in Earth Day events in Southern Utah.
- There are organizations that recycle products and donate the proceeds to animal rescue organizations. Discs for Dogs offers a
free and convenient way to turn old CDs and DVDs into a second chance for a homeless dog or cat and decrease landfill waste at the same time. The website gives simple instructions to ship the items which are resold with all proceeds donated to the Erie County, New York SPCA. The organization will even reimburse you for your shipping costs. Recycle 4 Pets collects use cell phones, iPods, laptops, digital cameras and other items and donates the proceeds to various animal-related organizations such as the ASPCA, the National Wildlife Federation and the Canine Health Foundation. - Many animal rescue organizations have “thrift stores” and flea markets with all proceeds going back to the organization. Keep this in mind when you do your spring cleaning and are ready to donate items that you no longer need. Second Life is an independent thrift shop in Metro Atlanta that donates all of its proceeds to four local animal organizations. Click here to read a Network article about Second Life.
Lead photo of earth and photos of dogs courtesy of MorgueFile.com
Photo of cat on leash (Lucky from Benton’s House at the Sanctuary) by Barbara Koll
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