Unilever has recently launched a campaign focusing on the little changes we can all make in our day-to-day lives to ensure we create a brighter future for the next generation. This new #brightFuture initiative focuses on uniting communities and encouraging the small steps we can all take in creating a better world. Luckily a new study shows that 9 out of 10 parents and 8 out of 10 children agree that if everyone does small things to improve the environment ‘together we can make the world a better place’.

What do you do as a family and how do you encourage your children to join in?

I think it’s important to pass on this message to our kids. It’s not always easy but we try and show Caspian all the little things that can be done. Making sure we recycle. Trying not to have too much food waste. Daddy Long Legs is a keen advocate for the fact that a best before date is just that, a recommendation, and that most things are perfectly edible still.

As a young woman who used to be a very insecure teenager I love the campaign launched by Dove a few years ago. It’s important to encourage not only our daughters but sons, too, to be confident and comfortable in their own skin and also respect their bodies and each other as human beings.  The ongoing Dove Self-Esteem campaign has worked closely with leading psychologists, academics and experts to create materials and resources that support young people in developing a positive relationship with their bodies and appearances. The project has reached an impressive 19 millions young lives so far.

We are currently doing up Daddy Long Leg’s childhood home. There’s something so special about Caspian growing up in a house where his dad was born and that holds so much family history. It’s an old Victorian house built in 1896 and we are trying to stay true to all of the beautiful original features while making sure it’s a home that caters to us as a modern family by installing new windows to save on heating.

Daddy Long Legs found this beautiful original toilet in the cellar and we had it restored and put in the guest bathroom. We then had a stunning seat custom made in recycled mahogany.  It’s quite a throne for visitors and a great conversation starter. While dirt and bacteria shouldn’t be completely banned I believe that teaching Caspian to keep the toilet clean and hygienic is important. At 20 months he’s starting to understand more things. Like that the tap can get hot and shouldn’t be touched and the toilet is not a bath. But were he to climb in, at least I know it’s clean! I love that Domestos has committed to helping 25 million people gain improved access to a toilet by 2020. Something many of us take for granted and it really should be a human right across the world.

It’s not only when it comes to home decor that we re- and up-cycle. When I found out I was pregnant back in the summer of 2014 I started scouring the charity shops for bargains. Newborns grow so fast that you can find a lot of amazing outfits for no money, most is actually new as clearly the babies never got to wear it with many families being gifted several cute outfits in tiny sizes. That saved us a lot of money in those early days.

We’re fortunate to have a great range of these shops just up the local high street and people are very generous with their donations meaning I often pick up lovely items from designer brands such as Ted Baker, Karen Millen and Hobbs. We try and give back too and often drop off Caspian’s outgrown clothes and toys so others can benefit as well.

We don’t have a tumble dryer and therefore hang our washing in the garden on days where the sun is out. I love the smell of fresh laundry dried in the sun. Knowing that we’re saving on electricity makes it even better because we all know that messy toddlers produce a fair bit of washing. Since Caspian was born we’ve only been using non-bio for the sake of the environment and his skin, too.

Both in Denmark and the UK children are fortunate to have access to education and even if the systems are different I’m confident Caspian will be in good hands in years to come. I believe that as parents we can help our kids learn, but going to school should be available to all. I was therefore so happy to learn that Persil has backed a global initiative Learning for Tomorrow partnering with UNICEF to help give children in some of the world’s poorest areas a better quality of education.

What little steps do you take with your family to create a #brightFuture?

NB! This post is an entry for BritMums #brightFuture Challenge, sponsored by Unilever