Lowering Your Carbon Paw Print

With all this concern about global warming, emissions controls and lowering our carbon foot prints; I am proud to say that no stone is being left unturned, as even our furry friends learn to reduce their little carbon paw prints on the world, along with their humans.
 
And there is no reason that we shouldn't all join in, as it encourages a pet friendly earth for as long as possible. 
 
My own pets and I, have been experimenting with the process of reducing our waste and making better use of what we buy and use. It's been fun to put the internets best methods to the test and find out the best ways for everyone to contribute to making the earth a healthier place to live.
 
I think the easiest method was switching over to chemical-free pet shampoo's and conditioners. It turns out, they are actually gentler on my pets skin, which is a definite bonus on top of knowing that most of the ingredients were fair trade and made from natural ingredients. My dog and I found out over time, that we didn't need to bath nearly as much with the good stuff either, as it allowed the natural oils in his skin to quickly come back after a bath and last for a good long time, keeping him cleaner and lowering the number of pests he would come inside with during the day. One of my fondest memories of lowering our carbon paw print, was when I found instructions for making our own cardboard kitty scratcher pads out of our old cardboard waste. It was a bit of a challenge, but the great things was that we saved a bunch of money, which meant I could afford some locally grown catnip to throw on top. And I tell you want, all four of my cats were in kitty-heaven when I brought home both ingredients and laid them out for them. My son and I spent a good hour watching them play and enjoy themselves on something as simple as recycled cardboard. I very much doubt they knew or card that it wasn't brand new cardboard.
 
Last, but certainly not least, my favorite experiment in reducing waste and spoiling my pets, was when my oldest son and I spent the day making new beds for our 4 cats and 1 dog. We found an article that showed us how to turn old pillowcases, clothes, sheets and t-shirts into dog and cat beds, which took us all day, but by the time we were done, it was quite impressive.
 
That was several months ago when we did it, but everyone still looks amazed anytime they see our pets lounging on their artistically designed bedding.
 
I would definitely encourage any of my readers to try out their own ways of reducing their pets carbon paw prints. Anything from getting locally made pet foods, to repurposed toys, all the way up to adopting a new family member from a local shelter. There definitely is no lack of things you can try!