Our kids are used to change because they change constantly. Growing up is all about change. They change grades and schools, and teachers and friends, and even change what they know and how they think. They learn that change is hard, and it can even be scary, but it’s really exciting too. I know as parents, we all know that we’ve made some very bad choices (from misinformation, or simply being uninformed) – plastics, toxic chemicals, McDonald’s, BPA laden bottles and on and on. We are often appalled by some of our decisions and wish we could go back to the days of shouting out “do-over”!! But, since we can’t, we now need to look to our kids to be our eco-heroes - most of the time they are students or following our rules, but often, we’d be better off letting them be our teachers. Our kids know so much stuff we don’t, and they believe in change, and want to take care of themselves, their family, friends and our world. Embrace that enthusiasm with them, don’t brush it off. Teach your kids to put their best foot forward everyday and show them how much change every one little thing they do can matter in a big way.
When I speak to groups of kids, I see the sparkle in their eye, and they tell me the most amazing things that they do or want to do – and their frustration only lies in the fact that we don’t listen to them enough. Kick start a little social action into your kids, and make them feel good about their efforts and caring to do “good”.
Here are 6 little things that your kids can be in charge of (obviously there are hundreds more!) Encourage it. Watch them love being in charge, and love making change…then watch what that leads to, and follow their lead.
1. Leave the Dirt at the Door. Your kids can be in charge of keeping all shoes and boots and sandals behind an imaginary line at the front door…that includes guests too. (let them explain why to everyone…education delivered by a child is hard to not appreciate!) Think of your kids crawling around in your home on pesticides, road oil and gas and assorted outdoor gunk. The professional cleaning industry believes that 85% of indoor dirt is tracked in from the outdoors on our shoes and pet paws. And, in a recent warning about lead exposure, the EPA specifically recommends that shoes remain outside the house. Just remove them at the door - your house will stay cleaner, toxics won’t come in, and you have an excuse to buy new slippers!
2. Gift Wrap Wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the US. Not to mention, how harmful they are to make, the fact that they are only used for moments and they are not even recyclable! Decide what your family could use instead of wrapping paper – old magazines, newspapers, scarves, kids art from school, reusable shopping bags (my favourite are www.rumebags.com in every shape and size – even snack size ones for little gifts) etc.
3. Junkmail Think of the term even! Junk?! Of course you need to get rid of it. And, the industry standard is a 2% response rate which means 98% of the resources making junk mail are wasted! Get on board the Red Dot Campaign for more details on stopping your unaddressed mail today (no cost to you, big savings for everyone). Or your kids can make their own, and even offer them to your family, friends and neighbours for their homes).
4. Running Water Make sure everyone in the family is turning the tap off while they brush their teeth…do you flush the toilet the whole time you are sitting down? Kids LOVE to be in charge of this reminder…and get them to time themselves (and you) to take shorter showers too. (remind them NOT to cut out washing anything though!!)
5. Idling Any time you stop for more than 10 seconds (except in traffic) usually is worth turning off your engine. Idling gets us nowhere. Quickly. Let your kids remind you (never touching the ignition, thank you!), and turn off!
6. Straws I know you probably like drinking through a straw, but, do you really need that plastic thing in your drink, and then does it need to get tossed in our landfill? If you are at a restaurant, make it family policy to just order your drink and proclaim, “HOLD THE STRAW!” There’s a reason that straws are not allowed at the zoo you know. Anyone know why? You can also check out www.glassdharma.com – yes, reusable glass straws, great for kids too – lifetime guaranteed!
Note on Eco-Bullying (same rules as all bullying – NEVER!) Instruct your kids proactively that screaming or making fun of someone for not doing what they want, or forcing someone to do something against their will is a BIG ECO-NO-NO – teach them to always lead by good example and give gentle reminders that don’t make others feel badly about what they are not doing, because they may be doing other great things that others are not.
Remind your kids (and yourself) not to worry about what you are or you aren’t doing right now, but what you are going to do moving forward – and, pat yourself on the back for caring to make change, every little bit adds up. And, as parents, we all deserve to be kids again.
Lisa Borden is an eco-advocate and mother of three, whose business is a direct reflection of her commitment to better, more responsible living. She is a dedicated workaholic, admitting that it takes a lot of time and effort to change the world, especially in her non-preachy, fun, engaging and inspiring ways. Lisa consults, writes, engages the media, runs private workshops, and enjoys speaking to large and small groups. Her full-service marketing firm, Borden Communications + Design Inc. is based in Toronto and takes great pride in being an ethical business providing exceptional ideas. You can sign up for Lisa’s rants and raves at www.bordencom.com or reach her directly at lisa@bordencom.com.
© Lisa Borden 2010