You’ve recycled ever since you can remember. You turn off the taps when you brush your teeth. And you have an eco-friendly canvas bag full of even more eco-friendly canvas bags. This is a great start. As we slowly incorporate Earth-friendly habits into our lifestyle, it becomes even more urgent that we cultivate eco-consciousness in our children. Climate change may be a highly politicized topic, but whether you acknowledge global warming or not, surely we can come together on the fact that we depend on nature to provide most of what’s on our dinner plate — whatever that may be.
Don’t you feel cool sidestepping traffic, riding your bike to work instead? Don’t you feel triumphant when you upcycle furniture? Can you even hide your delight as your neighbor looks on enviously at your garden abuzz with honeybees? Well, these are all small acts of kindness to the Earth, and you may be more of a climate advocate than you think. So as we do our part to hand over a healthy planet that can sustain a few more generations of humans, let’s lead by example as we raise eco-conscious kids.
Sir David Attenborough, a global champion of our planet’s preservation, reminds us that Earth’s resources are finite. While this idea may seem hard to comprehend, there are environmental challenges at our doorstep where we can have a tangible impact. Using our cars less improves air quality. Thinking twice about buying single-use plastic and recycling ensures fewer microplastics end up in our water supply. Even properly disposing of our trash in public spaces, like our neighborhood parks, protects nature and keeps our neighborhoods clean.
Tell Them Why
While you may be eco-conscious and you tend to go as green as possible at home, you may not be sharing this valuable information with your children. They may not understand why you choose to spend a little more on their younger sibling’s biodegradable diapers and wipes. They may not know that you’re composting so you can nourish your garden to grow your own vegetables. Or that you keep reminding everyone to turn off the lights when they leave the room, not only because you want to save on the electric bill, but because you care about reducing carbon emissions and harmful greenhouse gases.
As you commit these small but impactful eco-friendly acts of kindness to our planet, be sure to tell your children why you’re doing these things. Share your passion for sustainability.
Witness Nature
We cultivate love for each other by spending time together. This is true of nature as well. We can help our children become eco-friendly by nurturing a sense of love for our planet. Spending time hiking in the woods, swimming in lakes, and camping are all wonderful ways to bring the family together and harness a love for nature. But not all families are afforded these luxuries. Still, a love for the natural world can arise by witnessing nature in or close to home.
If your family isn’t the outdoorsy type, that’s OK. Nature programs on streaming services abound. Normally funny or adventurous in tone, quite a few nature documentaries have taken a more serious turn, addressing climate change and directly connecting our lifestyle choices to the climate crisis.
With many of us stuck at home for a while, starting a mini greenhouse or an herb garden, or telling your kids to join in the conversation as you talk to your houseplants, are super-simple ways to cultivate a love for the natural world. Together, you can make art projects out of pressed flowers, or paint on all those cardboard boxes that have recently showed up at your doorstep in greater numbers than ever before.
You can sustain your child’s eco-consciousness by subscribing to National Geographic Kids and other climate advocacy magazines. And check out eco-friendly subscription boxes that offer crafts, games, books, and goodies like bamboo straws.
The Who’s Who of Climate Change
Your children may not care that Greta Thunberg was Time magazine's 2019 person of the year, but they may think it’s cool that she and her team jumped on a racing yacht and sailed from the UK to the US because she wanted to avoid air travel emissions. Introducing this young climate activist to your children is a great way to inspire action and start talking about what harmful emissions are and how they’re emitted.
Plus, celebrities like Zac Efron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo (you know … the Hulk!), and Shawn Mendes are just a few of many climate advocates using their fame and popularity to spread eco-consciousness.
Let Them Lead
Our commitment to climate advocacy is a lifelong duty, and this is the most important lesson you’ll want to impart to your children. As we lead by example, showing great kindness to our shared planet, let’s also listen to our children. They may be more eco-conscious than we know. They may even have a few things to teach us about engaging lovingly with this planet they will inherit.
