Little Green People

I know it sounds cliché, but our most important resource for ensuring the future health of our planet really is our children. Raising them to be mindful of the world around them teaches them lessons that go way beyond resource conservation.  Learning how to preserve our earth will help our children:

•  Feel empowered to be part of a plan that is bigger than just them and their family/friend oriented world
• Gain self esteem by learning that their actions and their decisions can make the world a better place
• Find a new appreciation for the world outside, and what it has to offer for fun beyond ball fields and playgrounds.  Hiking, biking, and our new favorite, snow scootering, all get kids outside and having fun in nature. 

Getting and keeping kids interested is as simple as involving them in your day to day activities.  I engage my kids by asking questions like, “Is this garbage, or can it be recycled?”  Sometimes I ask them, “Who invented liquid soap, and why?” but that just seems to irritate them.

Take your children outside and show them the stars.  Or the grass.  Or the snow.  Or this.  You don’t have to force feed them rhetoric about saving the earth; they will learn to love it if they see you get excited about it.

 Quick and easy kid-engagement ideas:

• Challenge them to find and turn off all lights in the house that are not being used (accompany them if they are not old enough to handle lamps or reach light switches or understand that lava lamps are not made with drinkable Play-Doh)
• Get kids their own stainless steel water bottle and encourage their sense of pride for keeping plastic bottles out of the system.
• Let your kids pick out a reusable shopping bag that they like.  At the store, put them in charge of filling and carrying that bag.  Let them own part of the experience.

 Let your kids rise to the occasion and they will surprise you with their enthusiasm.