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| Going green with kids
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| Lisa Bronner tells why and how to do it
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Lisa Bronner is the granddaughter of Dr. Emanuel Bronner, eco campaigner and founder of the Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps brand. Her blog, Going Green, both answers questions about Dr. Bronner's products, but also chronicles her own ongoing path to a greener lifestyle, as a mom of young kids.
C4K: What does going green mean as far as you're concerned?
LB: I had to ask myself this exact question as I launched my blog. I boiled my usage of the term down to the following: making decisions in all areas - from food, to home care, to activities, and beyond - that are safe for humans, especially children, and animals, both wild and domesticated, non-damaging to the environment, not problematic for future generations, are sustainable or renewable, and are sensible and responsible.
C4K: What led you to going green?
LB: Growing up, being a "Bronner" was not very much on my radar. We didn't live all that near my grandfather, Dr. Bronner, and although my dad was part of the soap-making, the larger picture of what my grandfather was all about was a total unknown to me. However, I had parents who made sensible and wise decisions long before terms like "green", "sustainable", and "organic" were even in our vocabulary with their modern definitions.
When I left home and was bombarded by the commercial marketing of products that promised to improve my life by making me more beautiful, I bought into it for a while. I tried a lot of them. And you know what? They didn't work! I simplified my personal care regimen down to Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile soaps with very little else added to it. My stash of beauty supplies went from filling up all the shower shelves, and half the floor, to just one bottle. And this is where I am today.
I had to learn the same lesson and go through the same process when it came to home care. I was a total sucker for marketing. One day my son, who was two at the time, came up behind me while I was cleaning and sprayed some of the commercial cleaner I was using into his mouth. I called poison control and they said that "one spray wouldn't hurt him" and did I know how many sprays he had? He seemed fine, but it was a huge wake-up call. I had no idea what was in that product and I realized how much I had blindly trusted manufacturers to do my thinking for me. I am smart enough to be aware of what I am using and allowing in my house.
I once again went back to the basics. To Dr. Bronner's, to how people have been cleaning for millennia: soap and water. We think we're so much smarter than generations before, but even with our technological advancements, sometimes we're too smart for our own good.
C4K: Why is important to get kids to go green?
LB: Where do I begin? The foremost reason is that kids' bodies are developing physically so rapidly. Everything that goes into them becomes a building block for crucial systems such as their brains, bones and organ function. Any weak links at this point will have very long term repercussions. Surrounding them and filling them with strong, clean, solid building blocks in the form of clean, nutritious food, exercise and lots of sleep is like getting in on the ground floor. It's proactive rather than reactive. If we wait until people are adults to start teaching them greener habits, then we're already going to be dealing with damage and the need to repair.
However, even beyond this physical dimension, kids are developing habits, thought-patterns, lifestyles, ways of approaching the world. Once these are entrenched, for good or for bad, they are even harder to change. Getting kids to "think green" is all about getting them to think long term about themselves and beyond themselves. This does not come naturally to them. Kids function in the here and now, and part of our role as parents is to expand that view.
So we look for conversation starters or hands-on opportunities at their level. It can be something as simple as looking at how much trash we as a family throw away each week. Let's see if we can challenge our family only to have one bag of trash this week. Let's recycle, repurpose, reuse, compost and use non-disposable so that we don't fill up our bins and the landfills. This is a concrete thing they can see and comprehend in their every day, and yet also is an important thing to think about as an adult.
C4K: Do you think kids are generally open to being green?
LB: Absolutely. Kids are eager to learn and are so curious. If you just start with answering all their "Why?" questions, instead of deflecting them, you'll end up teaching them so much. My kids have caused me to think about things that I've never taken the time to ponder. It's ironic because kids take a lot of things for granted, but then they question things that I've always taken for granted.
C4K: How can you get your kids interested in green issues?
LB: Most powerfully, it begins with a parent's example. Kids may ignore what mom says, but they will follow what mom does. When they see mom or dad engaging in actively caring for the world around them, or in learning about issues such as genetic modification or cosmetic ingredients and then acting on this knowledge, kids develop a radar for such things as well.
Take your kids to the market and walk them through the decision of how you choose the food you buy. What's "organic" and why does it matter? How about "non-GMO"? What does "natural" mean, if anything? Teach them to read labels with understanding. Give them some hands-on experience by growing some of their own food and visit farms so they know where food comes from.
Talk to your kids and listen to them. We are surrounded by learning opportunities and conversation starters. Maybe the local beach is closed because of the pollution coming out of storm drains. Maybe some trash was just thrown out of the car in front of you. Maybe they've asked to wear a certain cosmetic, and you can explain why it is problematic. Kids have a surprising ability to understand issues and even to cut to the core of them. Listening to their ideas and giving them some say in a matter empowers them.
Essentially, attention to green issues can't be a "one day once in a while" sort of thing. It has to be a normal, every day thing.
C4K: How can kids help with being green around the house and in their community?
LB: Part of it is avoiding a "today we are going to be green" approach, but rather making it a lifestyle. While a child can't clean up an oil spill, there are plenty of things they can do. Take a trash bag to the park and pick up litter. Compost kitchen scraps. Learn to make and use non-toxic, homemade cleaners for around the house. Collect water while waiting for the shower to heat and using it on a plant or to flush the toilet. All of these things get the issues on the child's radar and increase their awareness.
C4K: What about other family members?
LB: When everyone in the house is on board, so much more can be done. Whole family projects, such as installing a water-wise garden in an arid climate, can bring the family together.
C4K: Top 5 tips to go green with your family?
LB:
- Start simple with something you can do easily. It builds momentum.
- Take baby steps. Too much at once can sink the ship before it sails.
- Do it together where everyone feels like he or she contributed.
- Find something that matters where you are and whose results you can see. For us here in southern California, it's water conservation. Doing things like converting our yard irrigation to drip matters greatly and we can see the results in our lower water usage.
- Let the kids suggest projects or areas of interest.
C4K: Favourite green household tips?
LB: Simplify! Soap and water does the trick, in most situations. You do not need a cabinet full of different cleaners for each different surface. Also, clean your air by opening windows and buying houseplants.
More tips on going green with your kids, how to read food labels and general green living tips, go to Lisa's blog: www.lisabronner.com
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