Last week I previewed the Good Housekeeping brightfuture family fun day, sponsored by Good Housekeeping, Unilever, Kelloggs and Nutriday, for you. And what an awesome day it really was – not to mention a day with a real purpose. I knew that Unilever BrightFuture is a global campaign that aims to amplify the efforts of a growing community of people who believe it is possible to build a world where everyone lives well and sustainably. I was also aware that this event was to create awareness around how we, as parents, as human beings, can help build a brighter future for future generations, but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised to realize just how green the theme really was.
In fact, right as you enter, you’re hit with some seriously crazy facts displayed on little sign posts that welcome you as you walk.
The first one being the rate at which forests are being depleted. To give you an idea of how alarming this rate is; by the time we had just walked a short distance up the path, taking maybe a few seconds, there were at 18 forests down. Just like that. Basically every second, we lose an area the size of two football fields. Shocking, right?
But the day was not all doom and gloom, in fact, it was quite the opposite, actually.
It was truly such a summery family vibe to the whole day despite the fact that we’re dead in the middle of Autumn. Quite a scorcher of a day, and yet that didn’t stop the masses from attending, with families and friends enjoying the day relaxing on the lawns, pledging, part-taking in one of the many activities, or just chilling under the cooling mists in the shade.
My animal lover,Parker-Grace, of course couldn’t get enough of the petting zoo, and even went to get her love on through the fence whilst waiting in the queue.
Morgan-Lee again, whilst such a sweet and gregarious people-person, is a bit iffy on the animal side.
My little trooper needs to be prepped and a little psyched-up about what’s coming her way. To her credit though, she never just gives up on anything, rather states her limits and, in this case, went along with it because she knew her little sister really wanted to be here. She eventually resigned herself to only petting that which someone else would hold, and keeping her feet well off the floor from any potential greetings from the little furry, fluffy or feathered friends. Such a brave heart that one.
Also eager to get their faces painted, they patiently waited in the rather popular queue. Thankfully Coco the Monkey handed out some snacks which made the waiting easier.
Pax was going to have a puppy dog face (animal lover – duh!), but on the last minute, decided to go with Spiderman. (because she is spiderman – duh!) It has to be noted though that this is the very first time Pax has actually sat for facepaint. Just another sign of the times that my girl is growing up.
My favourite part though was when she actually saw herself in the mirror – she just couldn’t get enough of it. And eventually really got into character.
They had a super time crafting ( so up Morgy’s alley) using recyclable materials to create their master pieces.
For some good grub, the Food trucks did not disappoint. We went for some quesadias – which Parker-Grace gobbled down with great gusto. Folks, it really was that good.
Of course there were the muscle cars – which I was really really looking forward to. I mean, gosh darnit, I learnt how to drive on a Demon Charger Valiant, hello! (You know you have an awesome brother when he entrusts you with his beloved muscle car on the road!) But I knew the girls were really into all their kiddy activities, so we had to sadly skimp on that- hopefully next time, Mike and I will get to indulge a bit more in that.
The tickets are also actually quite good value for your money: R 10 of which gets donated to the Save the Children Fund, and every other activity, including the live entertainment by TouchWood and GoodLuck was absolutely free.
So. What can we, as occupants of this beautiful planet do to build a brighter future for the next generation? Well, mixed with all the fun of the day, that’s exactly what this family fun day was about: Creating an awareness of all the little things that we can each do in our daily lives that, whilst small, will still have a great knock on effect collectively. They of course brought this home in a fun way, with all the various sustainable games they had for the day, not to mention the pledging stations of Unilever trees that they had up.
Photo cred:unileversa Instagram
So if you were wondering, here are two easy ways you could get started:
Plant new trees! Let’s try and beat that rate of depletion by planting new ones. And if you didn’t get to pledge or make it to the event, not to worry, you can still help them reach their target of one million trees by posting even just one pic with the hashtag #sendaseed, they promise to plant a tree on your behalf. Easy Peezy. Get a-posting already, folks!
Photo cred: goodhousekeepingsaInstagram
Also, get recycling. Our neighbourhood has a free door-to-door recycling collection programme that really helps take away any possible hassle you may have with recycling, by collecting it from your home once a week. All you have to do is ensure that your recyclable “waste” is kept in the recycling bags that they provide you with, and left outside on the day. And I can tell you this, personally, probably about 80 percent of what we use in our home is recyclable, with the result that our actual dirt bin is quite small, and doesn’t really fill up in the week. If your neighbourhood doesn’t have this program going already, there are several other options that you have as well. If you’re interested have a look over here.
You see, you don’t have to go big or go home. No huge lifestyle overhauls needed right away. It’s all about the small, consistent, baby steps which eventually amount to a lot.
And just as Unilever BrightFuture recognizes, so do I believe, that we can only build a bright and sustainable future for our children if we all work together to do small actions every day that will make a real difference. It’s the cumulative effect that really holds the key.
We as a family no doubt, had a lovely time at this family fun day and look forward to the next one. In fact, I wish I knew about it earlier so that my entire family’s schedules could have been cleared so that they could have joined in. Because, honestly, this is really our kind of vibe : great outdoors, beautiful wine farms, with truly fine wines on offer, a myriad of activities to keep the kids entertained, and sprawling lawns where we could just kick back, relax and enjoy each other.
Here’s to the next generation’s bright future! X
Do you have any tips towards creating a more sustainable lifestyle for your family that’s easy and rather doable? I would love to hear and learn from you!
In fact, I really wanted to start a compost maker/heap for a vegie garden for the kids, but our space is pretty limited. Any advice?
Whilst this is a sponsored post, I was not asked to write this review, and all opinions expressed here are my own.