The wood shavings we put in the coop are FSC approved – meaning they are made from wood from responsibly managed forests – but of course there are emissions tied to production and transportation. So, instead I tried a reusable egg-laying mat, a bit like a door mat with rubber bristles. However, on my first attempt to clean it, I found the chicken poop tangled in the mat impossibly. That piece of plastic sadly ended up in the trash. Another possibility is foraged bedding, made from dried leaves and grass – a fun way to get kids involved in caring for their animals.
Should we take care of pets?
We love our pets – but would the world be a better place without them? Pets provide a range of therapeutic, physiological, psychological, and psychosocial benefits. They reduce stress, and keep us company. In the case of my family, I see our animals as giving my children an appreciation for, and connection to, nature. The chickens mean we have almost no food waste, and the dog keeps us fit and gives us constant love.
It’s disappointing that I can’t change Barney’s food – but maybe, with all his allergies, he’s not a typical dog. The shocking revelation that compostable poo bags are actually worse for the environment means a shift to recycled plastic bags is necessary, but it’s still wrong to use too much plastic. Perhaps, when the kids are older, I’ll look into the worm farm option.
The cat on the other hand, while I love him (and don’t tell my kids I said this), I could live without. I don’t think we will replace him when he leaves. Despite the relative ease of replacing his diet and the lack of environmental issues associated with waste, in our family’s case, the cost to wildlife was too much to bear.
The most surprising thing I discovered during this experiment was that I actually considered the environmental impact of my pets, without always realizing that I was doing so. While I am far from perfect and I recognize that I have a lot to learn, perhaps the habit is so ingrained that it has made its way into my subconscious – and into every part of my life.
