Animals don’t normally need to worry about their carbon footprints, just the ones they leave around the house, but in this age of eco-friendly living, even our pets can seem to contribute to the waste.
In order to eliminate some of your pet’s footprint the first thing you need to do it identify in what why they’re contributing to environmental harm. If you have a cat, is it the litter? A fish; the water? What about dog food or hamster bedding? There are many tricky questions to answer.
First off: habitat. If your pet roams the house, perhaps the best you an do is look for all-natural cotton dog or cat beds and make sure their toys are biodegradable. Plastic chew toys and mice may look cute, but try a rawhide bone or cotton mouse to make the difference.
If your pet lives in the cage you may consider eco-friendly or biodegradable bedding. Paws and Claws offers a wide range of these as well as litters that can be organically disposed of. When it comes to aquatic friends, there is good news there too! The amount of nitrogen created by fish waste in the water is a great fertilizer for house and outdoor plants. Instead of sending it down the drain, use it as an easy way to help your greenery grow. It’s a cheap, renewable source of great fertilizer.
If your pet lives in the cage you may consider eco-friendly or biodegradable bedding. Paws and Claws offers a wide range of these as well as litters that can be organically disposed of. When it comes to aquatic friends, there is good news there too! The amount of nitrogen created by fish waste in the water is a great fertilizer for house and outdoor plants. Instead of sending it down the drain, use it as an easy way to help your greenery grow. It’s a cheap, renewable source of great fertilizer.
Next comes diet. It can be hard to find good food for a person, let alone a pet, but there are good brands out there. The first real concern is artificial preservatives, especially in older pets who can no longer digest them correctly. The NaturaPet website gives a lit of holistic and organic pet food that are not only better for your pet, but for the environment as well, eliminating the use of unnatural chemicals from the production process. Not to mention, many organic pet foods are not only natural, but local, produced by small, independent companies. Look for some of these in your search.
Bath time can also turn eco-friendly. Instead of using expensive chemical cleansers consider plain ol’ vinegar- it’s a great cleanser and naturally easy on your pets and your drain.
In the end perhaps you can reduce your furry friend’s footprint a little more. Even fido’s contribution helps.
In the end perhaps you can reduce your furry friend’s footprint a little more. Even fido’s contribution helps.
I am an junior English major/ Philosophy minor at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. Currently I am spending the spring of 2009 studying at the University College Cork in Cork, Ireland.
