Make your house more eco friendly by kicking the kids out!

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Make your house more eco friendly by kicking the kids out!
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Goxhill

Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 245
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 10:04 pm Post subject:
My 26 year old replied - when I read the thread title aloud: 'Just think how much recycling wouldn't get done!' 'How come?' says I, not following his drift as he seldom recyles anything unless pressed. 'If I was in a house of my own, nothing would get recycled. When I'm living here, you do it!' And he wonders why we talk about him moving out!

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 11:26 pm Post subject:
Goxhill! Jema, I do think some kind of incentive might work, the money idea is good, or you could buy a CD for the young lady in question every month if the electricity bill comes in at less than x amount. I used to be a culprit until the day I had to foot the bills myself! Now I am sitting here with nothing but the PC for light and a blanket to keep me warm

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 9:18 am Post subject:
My children have enriched my life to exactly the same degree as they have impoverished it. Yeah, RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHGHT!!! I treat it as part of my so-called exercise reigieme; being a little on the heavy side and a great deal on the lazy side (see avatar), I like to imagine the calories I am burning as I run round the house picking up/closing/switching off after them.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 11:44 am Post subject:

I think with kids, there are no consequences to their actions, so they can't see why to change things, because they don't feel in control of anything. Its a little bit much to expect them to think about saving the global world, when they're all tied up with sorting out their own little hormone-fuelled world. Allow them to see (and experience) the consequneces (how do you spell that?!) of their actions, and they'll have better motivations to take part.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 11:53 am Post subject:

Whilst I am stuck on consequences in this instance that are both effect and legal

I totally agree about consequences in general.

Though some kids are totally thick and nothing penetrates. I'm not talking about my own here, but on my myfreeforum system we get kids starting forums, some of them break the rules and no amount of warnings penetrate. I have just had one where I deleted his forum and told him he was banned for life, who then started another with exactly the same bad behaviour. When I deleted it, he emailed to complain

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: Make your house more eco friendly by kicking the kids ou

jema wrote:

Mostly it's the door to the garage which still lets in one hell of a lot of cold

Does anyone have any tips?

A lot of internal doors to garages have those automatic door closing thingies (for extra fire protection) perhaps you could add one?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28237
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: Make your house more eco friendly by kicking the kids ou

ele wrote:

jema wrote:

Mostly it's the door to the garage which still lets in one hell of a lot of cold

Does anyone have any tips?

A lot of internal doors to garages have those automatic door closing thingies (for extra fire protection) perhaps you could add one?

Slightely non trivial as the door mechanism is also a bit bust so you can only open it from one side. I also object to compensating in this way.

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 12:30 pm Post subject:

Definatly agree that generally showing children some consequences to their actions helps them learn better. though I know a few kids like jema mentioned, who either just don't seem to care or don't take it in (know a fair few adults like that too)

We have a prepayment meter for our electricty and gas. I think that not having electricity on several occassions has helped my two with learning to save energy. A few week ago the meter broke and we had no power for almost a day. Once it was dark there was hardly anything to do. we tried playing battleships by candle but it didn't really work

I think it showed just how much electricity is part of life. my son said 'mum I'm glad we haven't got an electric cooker'

they always used to leave the downstairs toilet light on so we took the bulb out, meaning they could either go in the dark or go upstairs instead - it rarely gets left on now

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 12:41 pm Post subject:

Penney Poyzner in her TV series simply took away whatever it was the guilty family had been abusing. Burning too much gas? Switch it off for a day or so! Too many nappies? Give them washables! Chucking out too much food? Dish it up for them the next day!

When my kids leave the TV on un-watched, I take the fuse out of its plug. Now Tony Blair is saying (effectively) that if industry doesn't start finding ways to conserve energy resources then they may just have to shut down over the winter (I have simplified that issue, I know. But it is an allegory).

I agree with Peter - just unscrew the lightbulbs. Leave the heating off totally for 24 hours. You don't know what you've got until you lose it.

Recently we had a terrible fire in Poole which knocked out the lekki for most of the day and the night. The children were unsettled by the experience, but at least I had concrete evidence of what life might be like if they don't do more towards conserving what energy we have left to us.

Jema I am SURE you can think of something ...

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 12:52 pm Post subject:

it must be an attitude thing though. I've spoken to my Mum about being sustainable and turning things off etc, but she says and I quote ' what about all the big companies in their offices and shops that leave lights on all day and all night. Its not for us to save the planet, the big companies could do so 1st, we won't make a difference.' So she does almost no recycling and certainly no particular switching off of things. Tricky to get round that one! ( sorry about the thread hyjack there!) My kids are dreadful about switching off but sadly brilliant at saving water - the number of unflushed loos I come across..

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 1:21 pm Post subject:
(I should add that it isn't only my children but my husband as well) Perhaps it depends upon the ages and stages of the particular children? Personally I am all in favour of children having these sorts of attitudes reinforced outside the home, by initiatives like Eco-Schools for example. With lots of kids, peer pressure/example is almost the only thing that makes an impression on them.

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 1:30 pm Post subject:

Fiddlesticks Julie wrote:

Your Mum has a point though - it must be at least three weeks since I phoned the council to report that our streetlights had been on 24/7 for ages and ask if they could do something about it. I was thanked for my call etc, but the lights are still burning day and night

I do recycle as much as possible and switch off lights etc, but I do sometimes wonder why I bother!

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 1:48 pm Post subject:
my parents are like that, and my brothers and sisters. They don't see any point in recycling - its just a hassle the food they waste is unbelieavble too Fiddlesticks Julie, my kids and OH are tops at water saving too mind they take it a little far

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Sun Nov 27, 05 3:23 pm Post subject:

i really think that until kids have to pay for it themselves, they don'tunderstand the consequences of their actions

and they have "mental blocks" that go with being a kid

my son used to leave the doors open all winter and i would keep on telling him and telling him....it would eventually sink in and he would shut the door all summer long when you wanted it left open

delayed thought processes i think

he is completely the opposite now and i can hear him telling the kids off when he is on the phone to me

"close the door - were you born in a barn?" just like i used to say to him.....................

isn't life funny?

peter.k

Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 17
Location: north east

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 05 11:45 pm Post subject: shut that door
i suppose in reality we have a right to our moan about saving energy/ cost and i agree with the idea of large companies having to do something about their energy consumption. i also think i/we are very lucky (i know i am) with our children when you look around and see what others are or seem like i know the above isnt strictly pc but thats what i think

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