Help Your Pets Go Green
Posted November 8, 2010
By the WEF Eco Team
It’s no secret that the WEF building is crawling with animal lovers. Look in on any office and you’re bound to see framed photos of our beloved Dannys, Owens, Thors, and Makis. They’re a big part of our lives, so why should we exclude them from our effort to clean up the environment? Here are a few good tips on how you can help your gerbil/iguana/bald eagle go green.
According to the experts, a LOT of poop is generated every year by the best friends of America’s bipeds. No need for the stinky stuff to clog up landfills or wash into the sewers:
- Use biodegradable bags to scoop up all those No. 2s.
- Try out an eco-friendly cat litter.
- Compost that biological discharge! Just don’t use it with your vegetable garden, because the compost doesn’t heat up enough to kill pathogens such as E. coli., which could contaminate your homegrown produce.
- Check out Too Cute to Pollute?, WEF’s educational bill stuffer.
A lost pet isn’t just heartbreaking, the search for it uses up a lot of environmental resources (like paper for flyers and gas in your car as you drive around searching for Snuggles).
- Give the electronic ID tag (ask your vet) a chance.
- For hanging tags, try out an ID made of recycled aluminum.
- Use toys made from recycled materials or sustainable fibers (sans herbicides or pesticides) such as hemp.
- Scrap yarn and fabric you might otherwise toss and turn them into pet toys.
- Rock a hemp collar (with matching leash!).
- Let them snore away on pet beds made with organic cotton or even recycled PET bottles.
- Grow your own organic catnip or cat grass.
The Beauty Routine
If you won’t use products with hard-to-pronounce chemicals, why would you let Mr. Fluffy Pants soap up in them? Look for natural pet-care products, available in most pet stores these days.
Any viewers out there have their own green pet tips to post? We’d like to hear from you!