Never Too Young to Be Green

Posted by Shirley Siluk Gregory Dec 16, 2006

Every chance I get, I try to teach my almost-four-year-old son the virtues of green living. Not an easy task, considering the natural mercenary tendencies of toddlers, but I do see occasional signs that the lessons are sinking in. He's starting, for example, to ask whether we could save leftovers or reuse things around the house, rather than throw them away. I find that encouraging.

Now I believe green living habits are worthwhile no matter what our circumstances -- privileged or not. Unfortunately, I also believe my son's generation will be forced by necessity to live more green than my generation has: climate change, an ever-expanding world population and growing competition for finite natural resources make that almost a certainty. I think it's smart to prepare him now so the adjustment won't be so hard in years to come.

While that sounds like a bleak vision of the future, I do believe there's also cause for hope. More and more people are thinking green lately too, and taking action to change their own habits and lobby for wider change as well. Living green is also healthier, so my son won't be exposed to some of the junk I was as a child because we didn't know any better: fast food, processed foods, pesticide-coated fruits, toys made of PVCs, chemical-laden personal-care products, chemical-soaked pajamas and so on. I'm hoping that means he'll have a better, healthier start on life.

Finally, it's worth noting that the best way to teach kids green living habits is by example ... the way children always learn best. So I'm trying my best to improve my own habits every day, for him as well as for myself and the world at large. Seems like the right thing to do.