The eco-friendly movement has encouraged many adults to live their lives in ways that are less harmful to the environment. While participation from adults is very important, the only way the movement can continue improving the planet is if the next generations also participate. By instilling eco-friendly practices in your children, you can make both your home and the planet’s future greener. Let’s take a look at a few of the simplest ways to teach kids about environmentally-friendly living.
Nurture a Respect for Nature
When children are taught to respect nature from a young age, they’re more likely to care about the planet’s wellbeing when they’re older. Nurturing this respect can be surprisingly easy. Start with the nature in your own garden. Have the kids help you plant trees or flowers and then give them the task of caring for whatever they planted. You could also set up bird feeders, birdhouses, or a birdbath. Your little ones can then help you with restocking the seed, refilling the bath, and cleaning up the areas.
Of course, there’s a wide world filled with nature outside of your home that you can explore with your children as well. Plan family holidays to nature preserves or nearby beaches so that they can see different types of animals and their habitats. While you’re out exploring the world, you can teach your kids about things like soil erosion and how the two factors that impact how much soil erodes off a landscape are the amount of bare soil that is exposed and the length of time it’s exposed. With knowledge like this, children will better understand how elements of the planet work and what they can do to help.
Regularly Recycle
Recycling is one of the easiest activities individual families and large corporations can do to reduce mankind’s impact on the planet. While some industries do their part to recycle, such as the steel industry that produces about 40% of its steel across the globe with recycled metal, individuals can make their own meaningful contributions. Most communities have options for various types of recycling and it is even mandatory in some areas. Make sure that your family is following the local recycling laws and that you have the correct bins to recycle your waste.
Once you’re set up with the correct recycling system, get the kids involved. Show them how to sort different recyclables and have them rinse out anything that needs to be cleaned first. They can even take the containers out to the curb for collection with you. As your kids grow, taking out the recyclables and ensuring they are correctly sorted can become their specific responsibility. If your family has gotten the basics of recycling down, start looking into ways to further reduce your non-recyclable waste, such as composting food scraps and investing in reusable products.
Be Conscious About Conserving Energy
The average home uses a lot of electricity throughout the day, which negatively impacts the environment and increases your energy bill. Get the whole family involved in conserving energy by reminding your children to turn off anything that uses electricity when they’re not using it. Remember to explain to kids why it’s important to not waste energy. Electricity travels extremely fast, at almost 6,700,000 miles per hour. This means that any use of electricity, no matter how minor, uses energy. If you get your energy from a non-renewable resource, then your energy usage is negatively impacting the environment. By explaining all of this to kids, they will better understand the importance of conserving energy rather than thinking there is an unlimited supply of it.
Conserving energy is fairly simple. Get your children used to switching off lights when they leave a room, turning off the television when they’re done watching it, and powering down computers when they’re not using them. Even discouraging actions like standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open or opening the windows when the air conditioning is on will help conserve electricity.
Children of any age have the ability to participate in eco-friendly actions. Whether you want your kids to stand up for animal rights or you hope that they grow up with a green thumb, you can make the most impact by teaching them about our planet as soon as possible. With any luck, your kids will keep passing on a passion for the environment and can create a new community of eco-warriors.
