Having children is often the catalyst for parents to take stock of their environmental principles, whether stabbed by guilt at yet another disposable nappy going to the landfill, or confronted by an irate 8-year-old demanding to know why the family doesn’t recycle. “The first environmentally sound products I ever bought were organic fruit and vegetables because, as a mother of young children, I didn’t want them exposed to toxic pesticide residue,” writes actress Meryl Streep in The Green Guide.

Becoming a parent makes living a greener life more urgent and more difficult. Caring for our children and for the earth they will inherit becomes glaringly important - and complicated. Conveniently packaged products popped into plastic bags and loaded into the back of our Mommy-mobiles doesn’t scream “Caretaker of the Earth”, but heck, it’s quick and convenient. And the plea to “Please leave the light on, Mommy,” is enough to have any parent throw their energy-saving principles into the incinerator.

Yet the “inconvenient truth” is that it is important to raise children with enviro-savvy in a consumer-orientated society. Children need to learn that whilst resources are on tap at the flick of a switch, that these resources are finite. And the best way for them to learn is for us to teach them.

Raise green kids

• Organise a litter patrol and clean up the neighbourhood
• Go on nature walks to local parks, dams and lakes
• Get them gardening
• Talk about where water comes from, and where it goes . Encourage water saving habits like:
  - Turning the tap off properly
  - Turning off the running water when they brush  their teeth, or filling a cup with water for rinsing
  - Not leaving the tap running when they wash their hands, but rather putting the plug in so that a limited amount of water used
  - Encourage them to shower instead of always bathing: a bath uses about 200 litres of water while a shower cuts down water usage by 66%
  - Get them busy in the garden with watering cans instead of the hose or sprinkler
• Talk about how electricity is created and used. Encourage electricity-saving habits like:
  - Turning off lights
  - Only opening the fridge when they know what they want, and closing it straight away
  - Popping on a jersey before turning on the heater
  - Using cold water in preference to hot water where possible

Tips for eco-friendly living

• Every recycled bottle is worth 0.5kg of carbon saved
• Using a washing line instead of the drier saves 1.5kg of carbon
• Invest in solar-power phone chargers, wind-up radios and rechargeable batteries
• If you buy furniture or other items that are made from wood check that it comes from a managed forest
• Give a plant as a gift and plant as many trees as you can
• Buy local produce instead of imported foods
• Recycle. Here are some contacts:
  - Mondi kerbside collection: www.paperpickup.co.za
  - Resolution Recycling: (011) 614 7905 or email
  - The Glass Recycling Company is in the process of installing glass banks throughout the country from this year. To find out where, visit www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.za

The full text of this article appeared in Your Child, the magazine that helps parents raise healthy, happy kids from 4 to 12 years old. Reprinted with permission.