10 Ways to Green Your Children

Growing babies in our raised-bed garden.

As I read Reproduce, Recycle, Reuse on Slate, I couldn't help thinking that greening your baby is easy. It's not so different from greening yourself -- buying used or borrowing (unless its unsafe), using less, figuring out what you can live without -- to me, the real question is how to green your older children. The best gift you can give to the planet -- and your child - is to teach them to be environmentally friendly. Green babies are easy*: cloth diapers, hand-me-down clothes, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, borrowed gear, nursery decor that will last longer than two years. It gets trickier as they get older. I am trying my best to teach my son environmental awareness. I was so happy when my he exclaimed "No mommy! Don't flush - it's just pee-pee!" That's right, we practice the yellow=mellow.

Here are some easy ways to teach your kids environmental stewardship:
1. Be green yourself. Live by example.
2. Enjoy the outdoors: frequent parks, playgrounds, nature centers. Stargaze, picnic, fly a kite -- whatever. These things strengthen your family and show the value of nature (and they're free).
3. Promote no-power toys. They save money, promote creativity, and are less annoying to adults.
4. Serve good food. Cook from scratch using local, whole foods as much as possible. Try to limit single-serving food items, which is particularly hard with kids.
5. Start your own garden; whether its a few containers on your deck, some herbs in your window, or a large plot in your yard -- it's important to teach kids where their food comes from.
6. Prioritize experiences over things. This is also a great way to create family traditions: going to the pumpkin patch every year, the library every Wednesday, the children's museum every month.
7. Teach your kids how to use money wisely.
8. Set clear rules about cell phones and social media - at what age they are allowed, how many minutes of use are appropriate, etc. -- thereby promoting in-person relationships.
9. Give together. Get your kids involved in donating their used things to charity, volunteering with you at a community garden, or shopping for the local food pantry.
10. Keep your kids commercial-free as long as possible.

*The most environmentally friendly baby is an adopted one in my opinion. It's the only way to have a child without increasing the need for the earth's resources.