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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jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28163
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 5:51 pm Post subject: Make your house more eco friendly by kicking the kids out!
Have just done another round of shutting lights off and closing doors At one point today Amipest had gone out and I found the front door open Mostly it's the door to the garage which still lets in one hell of a lot of cold Does anyone have any tips?

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 5:57 pm Post subject:
Move abroad, and don't tell em where you've gone? Lock them in their rooms? Refuse to feed/wash clothes/be taxi etc etc until they learn? Ask nicely (pointless I know) We share your frustrations.......

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 5:58 pm Post subject:
Well, it is annoying, yes, but they won't be with you for ever. Make the most of them while they are there, and make sure you practice what you preach (I speak from experience on that one ) Think of all the positive contributions the children make to the hosuehold; I'm sure they outweigh the negative ones.

wellington womble

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

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 6:30 pm Post subject:

feed them readybrek and turn off the central heating?

Financial incentive - pick a different one for each child and link it to the cost of the energy bill (otherwise they will blame the other one/s) For example, for lights, take the electricity bill, and offer to give them a pound, for every two they can shave off it, same with the gas etc. If you switch them round from month to month, it might breed good habits that continue. You could even make no financial gain, and give them the whole lot - depends on your motives for saving energy!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28163
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 6:39 pm Post subject:
What bought the thread on was that the worst culprit 10 minute before heading out leaving just about every light on, asked me if I was planning anything to make the house more eco-friendly

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 6:59 pm Post subject:
And what did you say?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28163
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 7:05 pm Post subject:

Sarah D wrote:

And what did you say?

Pretty much the thread title! What else could I say?

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 7:06 pm Post subject:
Glad you're not my father.........................

Mad Dad

Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 407
Location: Nowhere near where I want to be

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 9:26 pm Post subject:
I think anyone with kids will sympathise with you. I wonder if I was like that as a kid?? I'd like to think not but....

Naomi

Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 1945

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 9:35 pm Post subject:

Funny , my eldest son who is almost 18 is far far worse at wasting household energy than my younger two children.
In fact my 3 year old tells me that she has 'turned the TV of to save electric' everytime she leaves the sitting room.
I think I have probably made her more aware of energy wastage ,as I have become more aware and responsive to energy wastage myself as time has gone on.
So it seems my eldest wasn't taught it when he was young enough and it has become habit for him to leave a room with lights blazing and stereo on etc . I do door shutting and light switching off every time he leaves the house too Jema!

peter.k

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

Posted: Sat Nov 26, 05 9:42 pm Post subject: leading lights
take the bulbs out in their rooms it wont take long for them to come around

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.

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