green and healthy living for families in ottawa

Finding environmentally friendly and healthy products, retailers, resources and information is easy with the Kids Ottawa online directory. Just start with these quick links from our directory of nearly 3,000 listings:

Food and personal care products

General health and environment information

Healthy eating and nutrition

Home services and products

Green living options

Read on for our favourite tips for living with a smaller footprint, making healthy choices and more.

Parent Tip: One of the best ways we know to start a conversation with kids about the consumer culture that we live in is the free online resource The Story of Stuff.

resale clothing, toys and more

Ottawa is home to a growing market of resale clothing, toys, equipment and other options for recycling gently used goods. Try these great local options:

Boomerang Kids (now with 4 locations!)

Here We GROW Again (2 West Ottawa locations)

Daisy Blue (online consignment)

Posh Kids (in Orleans)

My Kids Funky Closet (buy/sell at two huge annual sales)

Play It Again Sports (4 locations)

re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op

UsedOttawa and Kijiji (free local classifieds)

Value Village (buy / donate)

See all businesses that sell gently used clothing and children's items.

cloth diapers and baby stuff

Ottawa diaper services and supplies

find out how to go without diapers (natural infant elimination)

Find organic and natural baby care products.

books and more

Find which branch of the Ottawa Public Library is closest to you and walk, cycle or take a bus to get there. You'll find amazing books, videos and DVDs at no cost!

The Kids Ottawa family event calendar frequently posts information for second hand book sales held by local schools. A great opportunity to score a lot of books for little cost (to your wallet and the earth).

your family and climate change

Regardless of whether we pay attention to it, climate change is now a well proven scientific reality that none of us can escape. Take time to find out about it, no matter how time-strapped you are.

Find out about the problem

Got 5 minutes? Read this article about Earth at 350 by Bill McKibben.

Got an hour or two? Rent An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore.

Got a little longer? Read The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery.

Do something about it

There is a wealth of free information available on (and off) the web that can help you and your family to make a difference. Here are some of our favourites:

• Ecology Ottawa
• David Sukuki Foundation
• Zero Footprint Calculator for Kids

green and healthy activities

The National Capital Region offers an abundance of opportunities to be physically active, to enjoy nature and to get around without polluting the environment. Consider these activities:

walk, cycle or skate to a local park or beach or to a branch of the Ottawa Public Library (our calendar lists all reading times and special events at library branches)

pack a picnic and enjoy one of Ottawa's many summer festivals

visit a local farmers' market and choose fresh, local produce to enjoy with your kids - the Carp Farmers' Market and the Ottawa Organic Farmers' Market are two of the best

swing by a local farm and find our more about where our food comes from

simple household changes

Switch your home to Bullfrog Power and invest in clean energy. The cost really won't be any higher if you start by switching to CFLs, using a clothesline instead of your dryer, replacing any old appliances with energy efficient models, and generally reducing the energy you use in your household.

A growing number of Ottawa residents are giving up their cars and using Vrtucar. If that doesn't feel feasible for your family, look carefully at the kind of car you are driving and what you use it for.

Have an energy audit done on your house.

A number of the city's playgroups and parenting centres offer toy libraries. Or you can set up your own toy and book lending circle with friends or neighbours whose children are the same age.

Take advantage of garage sale season to recycle and find toys, baby and sports equipment, furniture and more. The Ottawa Freecycle networks offer an alternative if you're willing to give stuff away (or looking for a no-cost option).

Find out what other local residents are doing to make their life green on CBC Ottawa's Shades of Green page.

For more thoughts on changes you can make, read How to Get Carbon-Free in 10 Years at Yes! Magazine.