Guest Post: Julian from Frugaal

Turn Your Kids into Eco-Warriors and Get them Interested in the Environment

If previous generations and today’s grownups are the ones that recklessly use resources and damage the environment to power cars, factories and consumer electronics, then today’s kids are the ones that are going to have to start taking real strides towards becoming a more sustainable and environmentally considerate group. This post, therefore, looks at a few ways to get your kids – at a whole range of ages – into the habit of looking after and taking an interest into the environment rather than degrading it further. Hopefully, you might even find that by introducing some of these changes to your kid’s lifestyles, you too can lead a greener and, therefore, less expensive lifestyle which certainly can’t be a bad thing either.

Teach Your Kids about the Importance of Minimizing Resource Use

It’s important that your kids get into good habits with turning off lights and other resource-draining devices such as TVs around the house; bad habits can be hard to shift, so you want to instill good ones from as early as possible. There are ways to make these eco-conscious actions a little more exciting too though. For example, consider giving them a little reward every time they spot a light that someone has left on or a TV that’s been left on standby. Hopefully this way your household will become super conscious of its energy use, saving the environment and trimming dollars of your utility bills in the process.

Re-Use and Recycle

Teach your kids about the importance of getting the full use out of something – whatever it may be – before it’s thrown away. And If they’ve got some old clothes or toys that they no longer want, then use this as an opportunity to pass something onto a friend, family member, or to a charity store rather than just sending it to the trash dump. The important thing is to make sure your kids realize the benefit of using these more sustainable channels of disposal.

Educate them about the Wider Issues, but in an Accessible Way

Encouraging your kids to not leave the tap running or to pass on an unwanted toy to a friend at kindergarten is great. But what’s also important is that you let them know about the wider reasons these actions are necessary and positive. So, depending on their age of course, think about showing them a video about the process of global warming and climate change on YouTube for example. There are plenty of these educational videos that are specifically designed for kids. Also, bring the bigger ideas and issues down to a touching and simple level by talking about some of the real-world effects of our resource use. So tell your kids about how all the wonderful creatures and animals in the rainforests and polar regions around the world are at increasing risk and danger because of the actions we – as humans living with TV’s, video games, cars and whatever else – take.

Encourage Them to Take an Interest in the Great Outdoors.

What better way to get your kids interested in the natural environment than by actually getting out there and letting them experience it firsthand. The options on offer are endless so to suit every budget and lifestyle. You needn’t go on lavish holiday to a far removed natural landscape, for example, you could equally just encourage them to get into the garden or local park to find interesting leaves and insects. Another great idea is also to get them to document and take photos of their findings and fun outside. On top of this, also consider getting them a little plant to look after. There is no better way of teaching them why we have a responsibility to personally care for the environment than by letting them do all the watering and tending to a plant themselves. It’s also a great idea to buy a food-producing plant, such as a tomato plant, so they are rewarded for their attention and care with some healthy, fresh produce too. You might even find that your child, who would never eat a tomato previously, soon feels very differently when they’ve grown it themselves!

[By-line:] Julian from Frugaal has provided us with this post. He owns and writes for the blog at Frugaal.com which covers a range of topics related to saving money and living a more sustainable lifestyle.