Raising Eco-Conscious Kids While Helping the Planet

Having a child is often a motivating factor for protecting the environment, as most parents go green in order to improve their children’s future.  If you are like many eco-conscious parents, you hope to raise children who will have a positive impact on the environment.  However, true eco-parenting involves much more than teaching your children about recycling.

Babies and children create more waste each than several adults, which means you must begin by reducing the carbon footprints of your children.  Moreover, you must teach your children by example, and extend your green activism into your community.  Buying organic baby food and fair-trade toys is not enough.  You must reduce your family’s waste, create an environmentally friendly home, and educate your community about green living.

One common reason that parents are hesitant about going green is the belief that green living is expensive.  However, green living is often cheaper, and it can save you money both in the short term and in the long-term.

Eliminating disposable products from your home is an easy way to help the environment, and it is one eco-friendly option that will also save you a significant amount of money.  Disposable cups, plates, paper towels, diapers, and napkins are convenient items that can have a negative impact on the environment.  By decreasing the amount of these products used in your home, or eliminating the use of these items altogether, you are saving money and teaching your children an environmentally friendly alternative that they will likely carry over into their own adult lives.

Another excellent way of saving your family money while helping the environment is to reduce your family’s consumption of energy.  Turning off appliances at the wall, consolidating car trips, and using energy efficient light bulbs are simple ways to reduce energy usage that will likely turn into lifelong habits in your children.  Installing solar heating panels and reducing the temperature setting on your hot water heater are additional ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Protecting the environment means making changes to more than just your home, though.  To truly have a positive impact on your environment, you need to reach out to your community.  Educate your local schools on how to go green, and become involved with an organization that plants trees or lobbies for eco-friendly legislation.  Visit organic farms with your children, and speak with your local grocery stores about increasing their stock of organic and sustainable products.

Of course, living green does not mean you cannot enjoy spending time with your family.  It simply means you need to do what you can to protect the environment.  Whether you choose to use cloth diapers instead of disposables, buy toys and furniture second-hand, carpool, plant trees, or lobby for community recycling containers, your ultimate goal should be to reduce the carbon footprint of your family, teach your children about green living, and produce more than you waste.