You practice the three eco-R’s year-round, but Earth Day is a reminder to up the ante. Danny Seo, green living expert and consultant for Ford’s new C-Max hybrid, offers fresh ideas for helping families learn to reduce their carbon footprint.

Reuse cleverly. Sort through the kids’ stuff with them and create a fun “upcycling” project. Old crayons cluttering the house? Have the kids sort by color, peel off labels, and break into pieces. Place the bits into silicone candy molds, bake in a 275F oven 10 minutes, and chill in the fridge overnight. Then pop out fun new crayons for creative endeavors.

Explore and create. Many insects and creatures come out of hibernation in spring. Go exploring in your yard or nearby park and see what your kids can find. Then come home inspired to make a recycled playtime costume like butterfly wings from a used cardboard box and craft paint. Kids can squeeze paint swirls, dots and stripes on one side of cardboard wings, then fold and press on the other side to make an identical pattern (like butterflies have). Let dry, make ribbon straps, and fly!

Play an eco game. Unscrew all the lightbulbs and make a game of the older kids dusting them with child-size dusters (once bulbs are cool). Over time, dust builds up on top, and the EPA estimates this can reduce light output by as much as 50 percent. So a bit of dusting can ensure a brighter glow with lower wattage.