We’re already raising the next generation of environmentalists. What we teach and demonstrate to our kids is going to impact the long-term future of the world, so it’s important for us to serve as models and examples for our kids to follow. How do we do this? And how do we get kids to care about the environment?
Live Responsibly
As you well know, the best way to teach a child is to serve as a model for them. Children are excellent imitators, so they’re likely to pick up on your habits and incorporate them into their own lives. Whatever they see you do, they’ll do for themselves, so it’s important to live as responsibly as possible.
These are some of the best ways to do it:
- Practice minimalism. Minimizing your impact on the environment means minimizing your consumption. That means buying fewer items, using less energy, and generally indulging your consumerist tendencies less. Instead of filling your house with junk or moving to the biggest house you can afford, focus on living a sustainable, healthy, and happy minimalistic life.
- Dispose of things appropriately. Try to reuse what you can before throwing it away. Don’t throw away hazardous materials. Recycle any recyclable materials – after washing them, if necessary. If you’re not sure what the disposal rules are for a given object, look them up.
- Choose sustainable items when possible. Always choose sustainable items whenever possible. If you have a choice between two competitors, and one of them practices minimalistic, sustainable packaging, choose that one. If you have a choice between shopping at a supermarket 10 miles away or shopping at a farmers’ market 5 miles away, choose the farmers’ market. The more locally sourced your items are, and the less packaging associated with those items, the better.
- Rethink your travel options. Another way to live sustainably is to practice sustainable travel. Instead of flying to your vacation destination, consider driving or taking a bus. Instead of driving to the store, consider biking or walking. The more fuel you use, the more emissions you’re producing.
Keep Your Kids Involved
You can strengthen your impact by keeping your kids involved at every step.
- Talk about your decisions. Instead of making your decisions and hoping your kids pick up on them, talk to your kids about the decisions you’re making. For example, you can point out the differences between products on store shelves and illustrate why minimalistic packaging is better.
- Point out important differences. Just because two options look the same doesn’t mean they are. You can explain why the ear of corn bought from a local farmer is likely more sustainable, less expensive, and even more nutritious than ears of corn bought elsewhere.
- Make sustainable options more attractive. Do what you can to make the sustainable options more attractive. For example, if you choose to bike instead of driving a car, point out how great it is to get exercise and fresh air.
- Prioritize long-term thinking. The Stanford marshmallow experiment originally attempted to study the effects of delayed gratification. In this experiment, children were given the option to choose one marshmallow now or two marshmallows after a brief wait. Children who delayed gratification demonstrated better outcomes later in life. While follow-up studies have complicated this finding, it’s clear that children who think about the future and how their decisions impact the future are more likely to live better lives later on. Teach lessons about the power of long-term thinking, and prioritize this long-term thinking whenever you can.
Teach Kids the Value of Environmentalism
Children are going to be more interested in protecting the environment if they genuinely care about it. Demonstrate the value of our natural environments with the following and more:
- Visit your local parks. Visit your local parks and spend more time in nature. It’s a great opportunity to bond and spend time with your family, and it teaches kids how important it is to protect these natural features.
- Attend natural wonders. Natural wonders like the Grand Canyon can give children a sense of awe – and teach them just how valuable it is to preserve natural wonders for generations to come.
- Engage with wildlife. Most kids love animals, so make sure they understand the importance of protecting these animals’ natural habitats.
- Showcase the effects of pollution and environmental neglect. It’s important not to fearmonger or intimidate your kids, but it can be valuable to showcase the effects of pollution and environmental neglect. Show them videos or real examples of how human litter and pollution can be detrimental to the natural environment.
You may not be able to transform your kids into passionate environmentalists, but that was never really the point. If you can showcase why the environment is important to your children, and guide them in making at least some more sustainable decisions, you’ll make a measurable impact on the world.
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This content is made possible by Larry Alton.
Photo credit: iStock.com
