Green values: kids’ guide

When we were kids, being green meant feeling sick or jealous and we didn’t give a second thought to what happened to plastic bottles or bags when we threw them out.

How times have changed! We’re in the midst of an environmental revolution and it seems to be our children who are leading the way, nagging us to do things like take the reusable shopping bags to the supermarket.

But if your kids haven’t yet got into doing their bit for the environment, here are some ways of encouraging them:

• Set up systems to make recycling easier. Separate bins with lids in or near the kitchen for food scraps, cans, plastic and glass, and a big basket for used papers and magazines.
• Get a compost bin and put your kids in charge of filling it with food scraps.
• Make your children your household’s “light monitor”, with the responsibility for  making sure lights are off when they’re not being used.
• Turn appliances off at the wall when you’re not using them. Phone chargers, game consoles and TVs can be unplugged when not in use.
• Limit screen time – this is good for them as well as the environment – and encourage them to try some fun activities such as playing cards, board games or charades instead of sitting transfixed in front of the TV or computer.
• Get them to help you make environmentally friendly cleaning products. Green Goddess Wendyl Nissen has some great recipes – see wendylsgreengoddess.co.nz. once the kids have made them, you may even be able to persuade them to help you use them!
• Challenge them to take short showers, therefore using less water. Use a kitchen timer to see how quick they can be.
• Give them space in the garden to establish their own vege patches. If you don’t have a lot of room, try growing some herbs in pots.
• Get them to make their own wrapping paper. Use recycled brown paper and get them to decorate it. This is also one way of keeping them occupied.
• Nominate one day a month to “return to the olden days”. Use as little electricity as possible – don’t watch TV or use a computer, wash dishes by hand and light candles.
• Remind them not to leave the tap running while they brush their teeth.
• Don’t throw out waste paper such as old notices from kindy or school – use the other side for your children to draw on instead of using brand new sheets of paper all the time.

Did you know?
our oceans are full of plastic waste which is severely damaging the environment, yet on land there is a shortage of recycled plastic for making sustainable products.

The determination of kids today to look after the planet has impressed radio host and TV personality Alison Leonard. Alison has been supporting a green initiative in which kids from all over the country collected plastic rubbish from the sea. These were then recycled and used by vacuum manufacturer Electrolux to make an eco-friendly machine.

Alison met some of the kids at the schools involved in the Vac from the Sea project and says it’s great
to see their knowledge and commitment to being environmentally friendly.

“They seem to know a lot about recycling. It’s so different to when we were kids – we threw things away without thinking about it.”

With the future of the planet in the hands of the next generation, it’s important to start children thinking green
as soon as possible, so they form good habits.

“I think they should be learning about what they can do from as young as possible, but definitely by the time they start school,” says Alison, who has become much more environmentally conscious over the years. “Even if we all do a couple of little things, like being better at recycling, it all adds up.”

The small steps Alison has taken towards helping the planet include:

• Growing her own fruit and veges. “I don’t have a landscaped garden but I’ve got old tyres – which would have gone into landfill – and I’ve filled them with a nice soil mix and put tomato plants in. You don’t need a huge amount of space to grow veges,” Alison says.
• Picking up rubbish when she goes walking. “It’s terrible how much rubbish you see around the place. I take a plastic bag when I go for walks and pick things up if I see them.”
• Using natural cleaning products. “It seems there’s really nothing you can’t do with baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice.”
• Choosing eco-friendly products. “There are a lot of great options around – I’ve even got bamboo-fibre underwear and it’s really comfortable!”