Time to fire up the grill and invite over the friends and family.
With so many people gearing up for cookouts, imagine how much difference it would make if everyone were to go green with their family cookouts.

The typical cookout consists of lots of paper or plastic cups and plates, napkins, and disposable plastic utensils. However, you don’t need to have a typical cookout in order to have a great time. Making a few small changes will allow you to go green with your family cookouts and still enjoy them just as much as you always have.

Tip #1:

Plan ahead by determining how much food is needed to avoid having leftovers that will need to be thrown away.

Tip #2:

Use a gas grill. Gas grills use propane and natural gas that burn cleaner than typical charcoal grills. If you prefer charcoal, then consider using all natural brands that have eliminated the additives. When the cookout is over compost the charcoal remains.

Tip #3

Avoid using petroleum-based lighter fluid because it contains harmful chemicals.

Tip #4

Don’t send out written invitations. Instead, invite your guests in person, by telephone, or by email.

Tip #5

Switch out those paper plates and cups for reusable containers that can be washed.

Tip #6

Instead of plastic utensils use recycled plastic or your household silverware that can be washed in the dishwasher.

Tip #7

Choose organic foods and grass-fed meats.

Tip #8

Keep your grill properly maintained so it will work more efficiently.

Tip #9

Make sure all waste is separated correctly and placed in the right recycling bin.

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At this point hopefully you are doing your part to reduce waste and be more environmentally friendly at home. But what about your pets? Mrs. Fluffy and Rover have just as much of an impact on the environment as you do. Read below for a few simple steps to help reduce their impact on the planet.

1. Rein In Your Pets: Protect Native Wildlife

Always keep your dog on a leash when outside, and confine your feline indoors. Topped only by habitat destruction, cats are the biggest bird killers of all time. Two out of every three vets, according to the Humane Society of America, recommend keeping cats indoors because of the dangers of cars, predators, disease, and other hazards. The estimated average life span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years; an indoors-only cat gets to live an average of 15 to 18 years. If kitty needs to heed the call of the wild, an outdoor cat enclosure is a good compromise.

2. Swap Out The Junk Food

Natural and organic pet foods use meats that are raised in sustainable, humane ways without added drugs or hormones, minimally processed and are preserved with natural substances, such as vitamins C and E. Certified-organic pet foods must meet strict USDA standards that spell out how ingredients are produced and processed, which means no pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial preservatives, artificial ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients may be used. If you want to know exactly what is going into your animal’s food dish, or your pet suffers from allergies, you can also always make your own puppy (or kitty) chow.

3. Clean Up Their Poop

Scoop up your dog’s waste in biodegradable poop bags so it isn’t immortalized in a plastic bag when thrown in a landfill. Cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter at all costs. Not only is clay strip-mined, but the clay sediment is also permeated with carcinogenic silica dust that can coat your cat’s lungs. Plus, the sodium bentonite that acts as the clumping agent can poison your cat through chronic ingestion through their need to groom. Because sodium bentonite acts like expanding cement—it’s also used as a grouting, sealing, and plugging material—it can swell up to15 to18 times its dry size and clog up your cat’s insides. Eco-friendly cat litters avoid these problems.

4. Use Natural Pet-Care And Cleaning Products

You don’t use toxic-chemical-laced shampoos and beauty products, so lather up your cats and dogs (or ferrets, rabbits, or hamsters) with natural pet-care products, as well. And if your cat makes a mess, clean it up with cleaning products that are as gentle on the planet as they are on your critter’s delicate senses.

5. Get Crafty

Your cat will love you forever if you grow your own organic catnip or cat grass. Scrap yarn and fabric you might otherwise toss can also easily be transformed into pet toys with some basic crafty know-how.

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