ards sustainability impacts my child the most.
For example, my toddler will finish eating and sometimes have food scraps left. We’ll ask him to compost the food scraps and he’ll take his plate over to the kitchen compost bin and put it in. He does this because he sees us do this as parents and we explain our actions on why composting is important. He’s a toddler so he may not understand it fully yet, but it’s building good eco-friendly behaviors and habits that I hope will stay with him.
Don’t Fear Talking About Sustainability with Kids
Provide Age-Appropriate Educational Material
Books about sustainability and climate change are great ways to talk about these topics with kids. The books keep the content age-appropriate so a kid can understand. The best part I’ve found about reading is it always opens up the door for the child to ask questions on their own terms or take time to think about it themselves.
For younger kids, I loved incorporating STEAM and nerdy books from the beginning. Baby Loves Green Energy and Climate Change for Babies are a couple of my favorite board books that discuss climate change and protecting the environment.
For older kids, I’ve discovered NASA’s Climate Kids website, which is a great resource for discussing different climate topics. It even has games and activities a family can use to educate, but have fun as well. The activities tab has some seriously great ideas for kid activities if you’re trying to come up with ones!
Focus on the Positive
Yes, climate anxiety is a thing and it’s really hard to not be overwhelmed by the scary and sad things, even as an adult. This can be reflected in our kids as well. Feelings are good though as they usually lead to action and can be turned into something positive.
I’ve found focusing on the positive truly has helped my individual sustainable living journey as well as my family’s. When you or your child is caught up with climate anxiety, try to flip it for something positive.
For example, the United Nations Environment Programme says globally “we produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. [And] that’s nearly the equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.”
Instead of being completely defeated by this thought, we focus on what we are doing to change this with our family’s sustainability journey. We consciously buy less plastic, reuse it as much as possible, and recycle it. We are making a difference daily. Moreover, we are taking positive action by voting and calling our representatives to support the environment and reduce plastic dependency.
Focus on Sustainable Energy Solutions at Home
A home is where you and your family probably spend a majority of your time. So focusing your sustainability efforts here can help make an impact.
Make an Electric Car Your Next Car
Looking to get a new car soon? A great investment would be an electric car. We have one gas car and one electric car. We only fill up the gas car once every 1 to 2.5 months now because we prioritize using the electric car. It’s saved us a nice chunk of money due to the current gas prices, and the electricity is coming from our solar panels.
Get a Solar Panel System
Getting a solar panel system for your roof or yard is another great way to live more sustainably with kids. After the payback period, it will literally be creating energy and saving you money all while helping the environment.
We have a tiny electric bill now and only because our city restricted the system size, which didn’t quite cover our whole electricity needs. Make sure to check out our Going Solar Journey where we did our own DIY solar panel installation that’s now saving our family money and providing us with renewable energy daily.
If you’re looking for a quote and FREE system layout, then reach out to GoGreenSolar here (U.S. only). They helped us with getting solar panels and we love them!
Opt for Electricity
Slowly, or quickly depending on your budget, phase out natural gas for electricity within your home. This way you are utilizing renewable energy whenever possible. This could be converting