Sustainability & Kids
How do I talk to my kids about climate change in a way that isn’t scary/ doom and gloom?
by Maddi McKenna
A: It is definitely a little difficult to talk about climate change that doesn’t make kids or anyone feel discouraged or pessimistic. Talking about ways they can help is a great way to shift the conversation’s mood to positive because there are a lot of positive impacts kids can have even though they’re not the ones personally doing the majority of the damage. Another great way to ease a kid’s mind is to teach them about people that are doing good things to combat it. Greta Thunberg is an 18 year old girl who at 15 sat outside of the Swedish parliament with her sign “ school strike for climate.” She was a young girl who took action and is now looked at as a global ambassador for climate change. Jack Johnson sings about climate change and does a lot of climate action in his personal life. Finding a local climate activist in your community that your child can connect with and aspire to be like is another great way to inspire and instill hope in your child. (May I suggest Lauren and Patrick Belmonte from Change is Simple!?) The most important thing you can do to properly teach your child about climate change and keep their optimism alive is to let them know that they are the future, and through education and hard work, they can grow up to be the next climate activist to help change the world!
How do I simplify explaining climate change so my child can understand and care about it?
by Maddi McKenna
Explaining the difference between climate and weather is a good place to start the conversation. Weather is what you see when you go outside every day- raining, sunny, snowing, etc. Climate is the average weather patterns happening over long periods of time that are typical to a specific region. Climate change is the changing of global climate patterns due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide from human activity. We care about this issue because we are making the earth unlivable for humans and are harming the natural environment at the same time. We want to be able to protect the earth's environment and resources because we want many generations of people after us to be able to enjoy the earth the same way we do.
How do I make sustainability fun?
by Maddi McKenna
Make things a challenge or a game! Play a shower song that they enjoy listening to that is around 3 minutes long to encourage them to take shorter showers. Eat a zero waste lunch! Challenge them to have no food scraps, or trash from packaging for lunch. Make trash art! Collect things like bottle caps, yogurt containers, old strips of fabric, bubble wrap, cereal boxes, etc. bring out the paint and glue and see what kind of art piece your child creates. Get outside! Playing games and doing activities outdoors is not only good for mental and physical health, it can help cut down on electricity usage the more kids are away from screens/ indoors. Make Cook organic healthy locally sourced meals! Teaching kids how to cook teaches them how to cut down on their food waste and packaging waste if they are cooking with fresh produce. Start a compost! For things like egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetable peels etc, a backyard compost is a fun way to watch how food breaks down and creates nutrient rich soil. Plant a garden! Growing your own vegetables and herbs is a fun way to get your child interested and involved in their food. Get creative with leftovers! Transform leftover mashed potatoes into cheesy potato pancakes or use last night's spaghetti sauce as a topping over eggs for breakfast in the morning. Using up food in the fridge in creative ways helps cut down on food waste. There are many different ways to make living and being more sustainable fun!
How do I get my pre-teen/ teenager to care about sustainability?
by Maddi McKenna
Ideally, kids will have been learning these practices from a younger age and it will translate to their middle school/ high school lives as well. Some things that could help get them on board is to get them reusable things that they think are cool. Hydroflasks are a trendy part of kids school get up right now. Getting them reusable masks that match their backpacks or sneakers adds some fun to their outfit also. Buying thrifted clothing that is one of a kind and helping them find pieces that are never going to go out of style helps reduce their impact on the environment and could help keep their interest in sustainability. If they can buy their own clothes, gift them a reusable shopping bag they can bring with them so they don’t have to collect bags from stores. Buy them organic/ less packaged skin care/ hair care/ makeup products for their bathroom. It is better for them and the environment. Let them cook dinner with you and have a say what you make so they care more about the meals they eat.
How do I make sustainability easier at home?
by Maddi McKenna
Set yourself up for success! Do research on sustainable brands you feel good about supporting, and buy reusable products that are good for yourself and the environment. Make it a family affair! Teach everyone that single use plastic is something you are trying to avoid at all costs in your home. Everyone can become a better consumer that way as well.
Why should we even bother teaching kids about sustainability and climate change?
by Maddi McKenna
Because they have the power and ability to make real change for the future. If we start to plant the seeds about why we need to fight climate change now, when they are older, they will carry those beliefs and maybe choose professions that they can make a real impact in. Your kid could be a climate scientist, a sustainable farmer, an environmental lawyer, an environmental science teacher, or a plethora of other things. Get them interested in these things now and who knows what they will do with that knowledge!
What long term impacts can my child actually have by being more sustainable? Does one person actually make a difference?
by Maddi McKenna
Kids who learn about climate change and how to live more sustainably from a young age are much more likely to continue those practices through their lives. Kids definitely have the power to make a difference. If one kid wants to start cleaning up their playground at school, maybe other kids will see them and be influenced by them and decide to join in. Soon enough, a lot of kids could be involved in cleaning up their park together. From there, kids can start to think and learn about reducing the amount of trash they create from the beginning. From there, kids can think about other ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Kids have a way of inspiring others and through even one small act like picking up trash, they can send a ripple effect through their community.
My child was asking why animals are dying, and why there is so much rain, why there is so much pollution in the ocean, etc etc. I don’t know the answers to any of this but want to give my kid some answers. Help!
by Maddi McKenna
Don’t panic! There is so much time for your kids to learn all about these things in school, and it is awesome that they are curious. Check some books out from the library regarding the specific topics your kid is interested in. Ask your school what kind of climate education is available to them in schools. Watch nature documentaries as a family together to learn more about the natural world. (any more specific questions can be pointed to me or another expert as well.)