Raising the Next Generation of Earth-Conscious Children
We don’t have cable TV in our house so my children are sheltered from the evening news. But they do still hear, through conversations with other children, listening in on adult conversations, and listening to the radio that the world they live in isn’t as perfect as they thought it was. A broadcast on CBC radio about the oil leak in the gulf caught my son’s attention yesterday. He started asking questions and I wasn’t prepared for them. The implications of this human-caused natural disaster are immense. It made me wonder, what should I tell my almost 5 year old? How do I teach my children to make choices which reflect a sense of compassion for the planet? I’ve been thinking about how to explain things to him ever since. I don’t want to frighten him, nor do I want to paint a picture of doom and gloom from which he will feel powerless. I want to help him see the planet-friendly choices he can make on a daily basis. I hope he will appreciate and cherish all the beauty that surrounds him.
Leading by Example
I remember seeing a presentation of “An Inconvenient Truth” put on by the town. So vast and complex were the problems I learned about, I left feeling a little depressed and out of sorts. I left worrying about the planet my children are going to grow up in. The little blurb at the end of the presentation on what we can do to reverse climate change seemed so minute and tacked on that the doom stuck with me more than a feeling of empowerment. I have spent many a night thinking about this, chatting about it with friends and even dreaming about it. I’ve realized I can and will make a difference. I am raising the next generation. They will watch me and follow by example. I can affect change and my children will learn how they can too. So how do I go about teaching my children about the complex problems of the world without scaring them, and making them feel hopeless, confused and powerless? I inadvertently started teaching them the day they were born. From the moment they suckled my breast as a nursing mother, we began our journey on a holistic, environmentally friendly path of life. Nursing requires no plastic bottles, liners, water or microwave for heating. It’s about the most natural environmentally friendly choice I could make. There are many other ways I lead by example and there is always room to learn more and rise up to the challenge.
Examples of How to Teach Your Kids to be Environmentally Conscious
- Grocery Shopping: We shop at a natural food store. All the produce is organic, and many of their products are organic as well. We’ve talked about why we eat organic; pesticides damage the Earth, harm our bodies and get into our drinking water. Organic farming is set to a high standard in which crops are rotated and the land is treated with care and respect.
- Join a CSA (community supported agriculture): In the summer, we have a farm share at a local organic farm. I try to make sauces and freeze lots of fresh produce so that we may continue eating it in the winter months when mostly imported foods are available. The kids help me with this, so they are very aware of what we’re doing and why. We also grow some of our own food and the kids are very involved in picking and watering the garden, and helping me out with the cooking. They love it. It keeps them in touch with nature and the source of their food.
- Reduce / Reuse / Recycle: They put their own trash/recycling/compost into appropriate bins. They are usually aware of what goes where and why. If they get it wrong, it’s a good chance for me to connect with them, and allow them to ask me questions. Their Dad saves many things that aren’t recyclable in our community and once or twice a year we do a plastic run to a plastic recycling depot. We also collect batteries from family members (who don’t use rechargeable batteries) and take them to a drop off station for toxic waste.
- Food Choices: We are mostly vegan, eating small amounts of dairy and occasionally the children and my husband will eat meat. I haven’t gone too much into a “lesson” about this because the planet friendly reasons we eat a plant based diet, as well as the torturous abuse that goes on in the mainstream dairy and meat industry are just too complicated for my children to understand. This is an area where we lead by example until they are old enough to decide what is right for them. In the meantime, they have developed a healthy appetite for fruit, veggies, legumes and whole grains.
- Be Thrifty: We shop at second hand stores quite often. They are our “treasure” stores. I explain to the kids that it is better for the environment when we don’t buy things new all the time, and another bonus is that we pay a fraction of the price. When buying new toys, I try to look for ones that are simple, non battery operated and made from natural or recycled materials. We have a local store that is great for these sorts of toys, and the owner makes all the wooden toys himself. We love supporting local, small businesses.
- Earth-Friendly Activities: We do eco-friendly crafts. It’s a great idea to have a recycle craft box, where you put things such as used milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, string, and old cloth from clothes that are torn or stained. These all make wonderful craft supplies for kids. Better yet go on a forest hike and collect pine cones, leaves, stones and other “treasures”. The creative things my kids come up with to make with these things never ceases to amaze me.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
These are just some simple ways to empower your children, instead of frightening them into making planet friendly and healthy choices. The possibilities are endless. When they are very young, leading by example is the most important lesson you can teach them. As for the oil spill, I explained that oil was leaking from a well in the ocean and killing the plants and animals that live there. My son’s response was “well we shouldn’t let that happen if it kills the animals”. As always his simple logic is something I can learn from. Everyone is blaming the oil company for this terrible disaster, and it’s easy to forget that, as my son pointed out “we shouldn’t let that happen”. By relying so heavily on oil, and using this natural resource daily “we” are all responsible. And by supporting more environmentally friendly choices, “we” can all stop a disaster like this from happening ever again.
