Teaching children about the environment

So, you care about the environment and ensuring that you play your part in preserving the beauty of nature but how do you go about imparting these lessons to your children? It can be challenging for parents to impart these important lessons to their little ones. As the saying goes, “charity begins at home… ” so it’s best to begin teaching them from an early age, before they head off to school or land their first engineering job to come up with the next innovation that reduces their carbon footprint.

Here are four basic lessons to start with before moving onto the complex topics.

1. Never leave the faucet running

It sounds like a little thing, but it can teach a lot: As your child learns the importance of personal hygiene, this is a good place to start, as they brush their teeth and wash their hands – you need to stress the importance of not leaving the facet running. Talk to them openly about water shortages across the world and the fact that you also pay for water so it’s a valuable commodity.

2. Explain How people contribute to global warming

Many people remain unaware of this scientifically proven fact and how humans and our high levels of consumption affect the environment. Never underestimate how much your child can actually understand, so be open with them about industrialization and urbanisation. Explain how they can change their own personal habits to help improve the state of the environment.

3. Make recycling fun so they understand faster

Landfills are becoming damaging to the environment so recycling can be an interesting way to have them actively assist you with recycling in the house. You can create arts and craft from plastic bottles, encourage them to reuse plastic bottles and save grocery bags for the next shopping trip. The best way kids learn is through participation as this increases their understanding and producing something from waste creates a sense of achievement for them.

4. Active lessons in reducing your carbon footprint

If you choose to walk instead of driving, explain how this impacts the environment. Teach them to look out for recyclable products and teach them to turn off lights, fans and other electrical appliances that are not in use.

Author: Karin Kloosterman

Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]