You don’t have to be the Jolly Green Giant to raise a green child. There are many simple things that you can do everyday to directly or indirectly influence your child’s environmental awareness. Now, more than ever, it is more important to ensure that our earth is in good hands with the next generation.
1. Limit the amount of trash that your child needs to dispose of. Wrap school lunch foods in reusable plastic containers, such as Tupperware, rather than plastic baggies and cling wrap. Send regular utensils rather than disposable utensils. Explain to your child that by not having garbage to throw away after lunch, she is helping to take good care of the environment. Ask her if she notices how much garbage ends up in the trash bins at the end of the lunch period.
2. Set a good example by using reusable bags when you go shopping. When your child shops with you, she will learn that this is part of the shopping process. Make sure that your child has a bag available as well, so that when you go shopping for birthday gifts, or she uses her allowance money, she will have her own bag to use. By the time your child is old enough to go to the mall with her friends, it will be second nature for her to grab a reusable bag before heading out. Remember that reusable bags can be a part of your shopping routine in all stores, not just the grocery store. Keep extra bags in your car, so that you will always have them on hand.
3. Save boxes, egg cartons, old magazines, and junk mail. Search online or in library books for fun projects that you can do together using recycled items. Designate a box for these types of items, so that your family will set them aside, rather than throwing them away.
4. Have your family use a chalkboard or dry erase board for messages rather than leaving paper notes.
5. If you and your family are running errands within a reasonable distance from your house, consider traveling by bicycle or on foot instead of driving.
6. Use Freecycle.org to get rid of unwanted items. Designate a box or a small storage area in which your family can set aside items for donation. Involve your child in this process as well, so that she understands that the items will go to someone else who can use them, rather than in the garbage. Go through her unused toys and outgrown clothes and have her help select which items should be given away.
7. Teach your child to conserve water by turning it off while she is brushing her teeth.
8. Remind your child to turn off lights when she leaves a room, in order to conserve energy.
9. Make it a family rule that whenever a family member watches television, it is his or her responsibility to turn it off when they are finished watching a program.
10. Explain to your child how planting a tree and/or growing some of your own food helps the environment. Involve your child in planning and maintaining a garden; size does not matter. If a garden is not realistic, even growing an indoor plant will help your child to understand the cycle of nature.
11. Get outside. Instead of going to the movies or playing video games, go to the park, go for a hike, or go for a bike ride.
12. Get your family involved in a town clean-up day.
13. Have your family check out magazines at the library, rather than subscribing to them.
14. Avoid using paper plates and cups at family gatherings. Encourage everyone to help out with clean up.
15. Set a good example. Actions speak louder than words.
