Sometimes it can be easy to become too satisfied when it comes to living sustainably. We may all have recycling bins in our kitchens, but here are some ways you can live more sustainably.

    ⒈Put an end to plastic water bottles and one-off coffee cups

    The only way this is going to work is that if you have reusable options you really love, invest in a great water bottle. This is an advance payment, but it will save you money in the long run. A 750ml bottle of Evian costs 90p in Tesco, meaning if you buy one every two days you could save £10 within three weeks by filling up a reusable bottle at home.

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    The high street is problematic on so many different levels. Not only are you buying items with questionable supply chains, but the carbon footprint of each product is shocking as well. Online shopping is even worse, with overpackaging for each item and the emissions from delivery trucks. The answer is to stick to reach-me-down or previously owned items as much as possible. Not only will this save you money, but there's also a sense of satisfaction in finding a hidden treasure from the flea market where you find outstanding bargains or something used, which you simply can't get from shopping in Wal-Mart or on Amazon.

    ⒊Think hard about your transportation

    Even if your car is supposedly a low-emissions model, it's still going to be a huge contribution to your carbon footprint. There are times when getting in a car can't be avoided, but if you can substitute just one flight a year with a train, one car journey a week with a bus, and one bus a month with a bike ride, you'll find that making more mindful transport decisions can easily make your day-to-day life more environmentally friendly with little effort.

    ⒋Try to buy local, seasonal produce

    You may think buying strawberries in December or courgettes in spring is no big deal, but the chemicals and fuel used to artificially copy the right environment for them to grow create harmful gas emissions. Similarly, the environmental impact of transporting produce from another country is huge. Buying from local farmers also means you can often ignore the huge amounts of packaging the supermarkets use.

    Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to? Try some of these places.

    Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids' interest. Many offer workshops for making hand-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings(签名) by children's favorite writers, and even musical performances and other arts.

    Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur(恐龙) models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.

    Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet(木偶) making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.

    Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums.

    The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.

    Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang(团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.

    Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of. And it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.

    Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.

    First-time shoppers at Seattle-based Amazon Go may feel as though they were stealing. That's because the 1,800 square-foot grocery store, which opened its doors to the public on January 22, has no cashiers or even checkout counters. Instead, as the name indicates, customers merely grab what they need and go! But before you start celebrating, the goods are not free—the cost of the purchase(s) is/are calculated electronically using “Just Walk Out” technology.

    The process is simple. Upon entering the store, shoppers “sign-in” by scanning their smartphones. Every item selected gets added to the bill automatically. If the customer changes his mind, all he has to do is return the purchase to the shelf, and it will be removed from the final bill. Though consumers will not find everything they need, they will be able to buy basics like bread, milk, and drinks. There are also numerous ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices made by chefs in the on-site kitchen. Those that prefer to cook at home can select from the wide variety of Amazon Meal Packages.

    Once the customer exits the store, the system processes the purchases and charges the cost to their Amazon account. Within seconds, the customer is notified of the deal with a digital receipt that lists each item bought, as well as the time spent in the store. The accurate tracking is possible thanks to multiple smart cameras that monitor everything the shopper is doing. Kumar explains,“Cameras figure out which interactions(互动) you have with the shelves. Computer vision figures out which items are taken. Machine-learning also determines which item it is.” The company insists that the system is so accurate that shoplifting(偷盗) is impossible. And they should know, considering that Amazon employees have been shopping there since 2015!

    The store has raised some concern about the jobs of the over 3.5 million cashiers in America. However, Amazon officials say they have nothing to worry about because human employees are not being displaced. They are simply assigned other essential tasks, like preparing meals, restocking shelves, assisting customers, and solving technical issues.

    Teens may become more private during adolescence (青春期) because they are learning how to be more independent, says Carl Pickhardt, a Texas­based scientist who studies parenting adolescents. "As they enter adolescence, parents have less control," he says. "You're going to have less communication with the kid who is now entering a larger and more risky world."

    However, Pickhardt says, this does not mean that parents should just sit back and do without any information. He says that parents should tell their kids that there are still things they need to know about, such as why their teen was late getting home from school one day.

    Iowa's mom Patty Link knows this fight well. The mom of three is raising two teenage boys: Graham, a 14-year-old eighth grader, and Carter, a 16-year-old high school student. She says that becoming friends with the parents of her children's friends has helped.

    "A lot of times if I want to get any information out of them, I'll say, 'Oh, I can talk to Adam's mom and she will tell me what was going on Friday night', and it will lead to some other discussion, "she says.

    Parents should watch their use of questions, Pickhardt says, because they can stand for authority (权威), and that is likely to not go over well with teens. "They want their independence to be respected, "he says. Pickhardt suggests using requests such as, "It could really help me if you could tell me," "I would really appreciate it if you let me know, "or "Could you help me better understand." But sometimes teens make mistakes and parents have to correct them. Parents should plainly (直率地) state the problem, Pickhardt says, and avoid judgments of character.

    Parents can also use technology to feel connected. One recent study showed that many teens are friends with their parents on Facebook—and only 5 percent limit what their parents can see.

    One day, on a small farm in Maine, a man sat in a barn watching a large grey spider spin a web. The man was E.B. White — or Andy, as he was called — who thought spiders were wonderful creatures. He thought that one day he might like to write a children's book about a spider.

    But writing was hard work for Andy. He had written many articles and essays and poems. He had also written one children's book, Stuart Little. But Andy could never just rush to turn an idea into an article or a book. He told his editor (编辑) that he needed to let his ideas ripen.

    So for years, Andy continued to think about writing a children's book about a spider. He did some of his best thinking while he wandered around his farm.

    Once while he was cleaning his barn, he found a spider's egg sac (卵囊). Andy wanted to see the eggs hatch. But he was scheduled to leave for a trip to New York City. So he found a small box and carefully placed the egg sacinside. When he got to his hotel, he put the box on the dresser. One morning he woke up, and there were hundreds of baby spiders rushing across the dresser!

    Years later, Andy finally began writing Charlotte's Web, the story of a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur. Andy created most of the book sitting by himself in the tiny boathouse of his farm.

    Sometimes he stopped writing and aimlessly drew pictures of spiders. Andy always said Charlotte's Web was more than just a children's story about animals. It was a timeless story about true friendship.