When you adapt to a sustainable lifestyle, remember to bring your furry friend along. Being a pet parent is a stressful but rewarding job. On top of it, trying to do it all sustainably can prove to be more difficult. To make this experience a pawsitive one for all of us, here’s our little guide to help you navigate the rocky paths of being a sustainable pet parent.
1) Adopt, don’t shop!
We cannot stress this enough; there are hundreds of our furry friends out there in need of a home. When you wish to care for a pet, try to adopt one from the streets or a nearby shelter home before you look to buy. In a report published by The World Health Organisation in 2018, it was found that there was an estimate of 35 million stray dogs in India. Three years later, the situation hasn’t improved much. USA is currently facing overcrowding of cats. Remember, when you choose to shelter a stray, you save a life.
2) Proper packaging for the win!
When you buy pet food from supermarkets, try to buy it in bulk. If you are sure your pet can finish off the food before it expires, it might be worth investing. A small step today can make a big difference tomorrow. If you buy loose food, carry your containers or recyclable bags. Avoid using plastic zip lock bags as most of them contain BPA (an extremely harmful chemical that seeps into your food) and protect the health of your pet as well as our planet! Various companies have also switched to eco-friendly food packaging, so keep a lookout for them too!
3) Purchase planet-friendly pet food.
While it might not be easy for you to come home from work and cook dinner for your pet, it is certainly an idea with its own merits. The meat that our four-legged friends love also come with their own consequences. Some like Chicken have less impact, thus making them an ideal addition to your pet’s diet, whereas meat like beef has a higher carbon print than you could imagine. It is time to reduce the proportion of beef in their diets and add more organic pet foods! Research shows that organic farms use 45% less energy and release 40% fewer carbon emissions.
4) Take care of the poo.
Clean up the poo! Most dogs go out for a walk and poop at parks or on open streets. Not only does that infuse a foul odour, but it is also a health hazard! The rain could wash it over to open water pipes or groundwater supplies and can later contaminate the lake or stream nearby. As pet caretakers, waste must be disposed off well. Cat waste shouldn’t be flushed because it can infect marine life with Toxoplasma gondii. When picking it up, there is a chance that the poop might have hardened and will clog your bathroom too. Hence, it is better to dispose of any form of pet waste with a recyclable biodegradable or consider composting it into non-edible plants!
5) Get Creative with their toys!
Are you going out to buy some toys for your pet? Let us stop you there. When it comes to pets and toys, the prospects are endless. An old rubber ball or shoe could occupy your dog for days. A shiny aluminium foil ball or old broken jewellery chain could entertain your cat for hours. Your old teddy bears or toys you’ve grown out of can help animals other than your own. Ring up the local animal shelters, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how happy they would be to receive some of them! If, however, you still wish to buy your dearest one a new toy, try to look for sustainably made or recyclable ones. Some brands offer the option to exchange old toys with new ones; go for them. Remember, if the earth lives, we live.
These five simple ways can floof up your sustainable lifestyle and make your pet an active part of it! Your pet might not have control over its carbon pawprint, but as its parent, you can indeed monitor the impact it has on the environment.
You can also visit The Good Directory which will help you discover brands and inspire you on your journey towards conscious living.
Written by, Shivani Maheshwari
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!