Hemp Dog Collar

You do your best for the environment. You bring reusable bags to the grocery store, you recycle, you bike to work and your cabinet is filled with eco friendly cleaning products. But did you think about your dog’s things, too?

1. Buy pet items in bulk, when possible

What makes this act green? There’s less packaging involved, which means less that goes into the landfill! Also, be sure to find products with packaging that seals with a ziplock so you don’t have to throw away the container right away. And if it’s possible, make your dog food

2. Outfit your pet with a hemp dog collar and leash

Did you know that a nylon dog collar may take up to forty years to decompose? Still, your dog can’t go entirely collarless, which is where hemp collars (and leashes!) comes in.

Don’t confuse hemp fiber with marijuana or cannabis: it’s an extremely versatile plant fiber resistant to rot and mold. Its ecological footprint is way smaller than other plants used for their fibers. The fact that they’re dense and fast growing permits few weeds to invade, so fewer herbicides and artificial fertilizers are used. Additionally, hemp doesn’t need extensive irrigation and is highly pest-resistant (so no pesticides!). And unlike nylon, it’s 100 percent biodegradable!

3. Let your dog chew on this eco friendly toy

Orbee-Tuff dog toys are perfect for aggressive chewers, and they’re also made of a recyclable material called thermo-plastic elastomer. The production process is green, too:  post-production excess material is not discarded, but is reground and made into new toys.  Out of the many fun shapes this toy comes in, the toy shaped like the earth is particularly appropriate

4. Pick up after your pet

To put it rather bluntly, pick up your dog’s poop. Why is this important, you may ask? Most dog food, and consequently the dog’s feces, contains additives and minerals that can affect the environment adversely. The nutrients in your dog’s waste can run off into streams and larger bodies of water and promote the growth of algal blooms – and algal blooms floating on the surface of the water can block light from plants on the bottom of lakes and bays, thus messing with the whole ecosystem.

So yes, please do pick up after your dog, and try to place the waste in biodegradable dog bags.

What are some ways that you’re a green pet owner?

-Kim