Earth Day 2021

Here at Trotters kid's store, we take a great interest in children’s feet and we pride ourselves on our expert shoe fitting service. In recognition of Earth Day 2021, we wanted to change our focus to a different type of foot…our Carbon Footprint and the steps we can each take to try and reduce ours.

The key to sharing any message is to explain it using accessible, child-friendly terms while incorporating fun activities that the whole family can enjoy.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

As explained by Sciencing, “A footprint is a mark you leave by walking. The way you live also leaves a mark. Many things we do in life, such as producing energy, driving cars and raising livestock, generate gases that contribute to climate change. And almost all of these gases are carbon compounds. That’s why the effect your life has on climate change is called your carbon footprint.”

Once you’ve explained what a carbon footprint is, help them to understand why this matters and most importantly, what we can all do to leave a smaller footprint on our planet.

We’ve created a fun, printable activity sheet for the family to do together. While younger children may simply enjoy some fun colouring-in time, feel free to encourage older children to fill their footprint with a host of different ways that they could reduce theirs and the difference this can make to our environment.

Here are some ideas to get you started!

• Take public transport, cycle or walk for short-distance trips
• Switch off lights and appliances when you leave the house/they’re not in use
• Planting trees in your garden
• Use a refillable water bottle
• Eat food when it’s in season
• Use renewable electricity supplier
• Have at least 1 meat-free day a week

Learn more about Earth Day and how you can participate here >