Helping to protect the environment isn’t something just for humans. Our furry friends are, in fact, a multibillion dollar industry. We, the humans, spend billions annually on purchasing for our pets. This translates into many different types of products and many of those products produce chemical waste, pollution and have high carbon footprints.

Everything that applies to human eco-friendly efforts also applies to keeping our pets. Yes, your pet has a carbon footprint but it is up to you to lower it on your furry friend’s behalf! In this article, we will explore 5 of the best ways to help your pet be an eco-friendly one. Your pet might not be able to thank you but the planet, and everything living on it, certainly will!

Pet Tip #1-Buy Local

The foundation of having an eco-friendly pet is the same as it would be for a human. Buying locally sourced and made products whenever possible means that you are lowering your pet’s carbon footprint.

The reason that so many people are becoming obsessed with buying locally sourced and made products has much to do with transportation costs. Transporting goods from across the country or even around the world to a point on the map, assembling them and then shipping the newly created product out across the world is a real energy hog. However, buying locally made and source products bypasses this highly problematic process and in the process dramatically lowers one’s carbon footprint. If you want to lower your pet’s carbon footprint, then buying local is essential.

Pet Tip #2-Eco-Friendly Pet Products

Another essential in helping your pet make the jump to being eco-friendly comes in the form of buying eco-friendly products. There are plenty of pet products made from recycled and earth friendly materials. Even something as simple as a locally made wool pet toy or pet bed can have a major impact on helping the planet.

Wool toys, pet beds and other products are becoming more and more common and for good reason. Wool is tough, durable and is renewable and planet-friendly. Additionally, there are plenty of toys, animal feeding bowls and other products made from eco-friendly materials such as wood, natural rubber and recycled plastic. These eco-friendly products are an easy way to help your pet do its best to help the planet!

Pet Tip #3-Eco-Friendly Pet Food

Packaged pet food is made in much the same way as packaged human food. Even if your pet food is organic and full of quality ingredients, it was likely sourced from food ingredients from around the country or around the globe. One of the best options for eco-friendly pet food is to simply make your own pet food. There are plenty of recipes for homemade pet food to be found online.

A major additional benefit of opting for creating your own pet food is that you know exactly what your pet is eating. In recent years there have been numerous examples of pet foods making pets sick. Making your own pet food will allow you to include locally sourced ingredients, which lowers your carbon footprint, while at the same time boosting your pet’s overall nutrition. It is, however, very important that you find pet food recipes and options that provide your pet with the right levels of nutrition and supplement that food with healthy pet food options. Cats, for example, need taurine to remain healthy.

Pet Tip #4-Biodegradable Pet Waste Bags and Training Pads

Dog training pads are much like diapers in that they produce a great deal of waste; however, there is another option in the form of all natural biodegradable puppy training pads. Dog training pads are an easy item to overlook when it comes to environmental impact, but replacing the typical, plastic based training pad with a more planet friendly options is a definite win!

Eliminating plastic is always a good idea when one is looking to be more environmentally friendly. One of the single best ways to reduce plastic use for dog owners is to opt for biodegradable pet waste bags. The average dog owner will use thousands of pet waste bags over the lifetime of his or her pet. Opting for a biodegradable pet waste bag will dramatically reduce the environmental impact of your dog’s outdoor time.
Pet Tip #5-Eliminate the Cat Litter!

Cat litter is something of an environmental disaster. There are many reasons that cat litters is something of a menace. Eliminating cat litter can be a very tricky proposition but due to the negative environmental impacts of litter on the environment, it is definitely worth the effort.

Cat litter, regardless of what it is made of, takes energy to extract and that means boosting one’s carbon footprint. That stated, some cat litter is better than others, for example, cat litter made from renewable resources such as corn is superior to other options, but what if you could eliminate the cat litter altogether? With some work it is indeed possible.

There are cat toilet training devices which can help your cat learn to use the toilet just like a human. In this way there is zero litter and zero waste, which lowers your household’s carbon footprint and keeps a ton, quite literally, out of landfills.

Together these five eco-friendly pet tips can dramatically alter your pet’s environmental impact. Opting for a eco-friendly pet approach reduce your pet’s carbon footprint and resource usage, while boosting your pet’s health at the same time.