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by Kelley O'Rourke and Victoria Holland
Little Green Star

Living green is alive and well in all of us. From an early age, we are introduced to the beauty and diversity of nature by making mud pies in the creek, building forts in the backyard, collecting seashells at the beach, or sleeping under the stars at camp. These unique childhood experiences have helped shape and influence who we are today as much as when our parents taught us to tie our shoes, to say please and thank you, and to look both ways before crossing the street.

Little "green" lessons can help foster a child's love of nature and teach a child the importance of respecting and sharing our planet's natural resources. By teaching our children simple habits, we can help them to grow-up preserving the environment through their daily activities. These "green" kids will eventually develop their own unique ideas and ways to care for the earth.

Introducing green concepts and teaching kids to help our environment can be fun, creative, and rewarding for both adults and children. Here are a few projects to help you get started.

Plant flowers or vegetables in the garden.

Why: The green leaves of trees and plants help give us the oxygen we breathe and reduces greenhouse gases. The more plants there are, the cleaner our air.

How: Take a field trip to your neighborhood garden shop to pick out native plant seeds, like native wildflowers, a terra cotta pot, organic potting soil, and non-toxic paint. Decorate the pot, plant some seeds, water as needed, watch them grow, and see who comes to visit! Butterflies and bees will pollinate your colorful flowers, which ensures that plants will continue to grow and keep the air clean.

Reuse and recycle

Why: Paper comes from trees and reusing any type of paper more than once will save trees, keep paper out of landfills, and conserve energy.

How: Decorate a shoebox with non-toxic paint to place all scraps of paper, (newspaper, junk mail, construction paper, paper bags, etc.), which can be used again for drawing, cutting, or wrapping presents. When the paper can't be used again, place it in your recycle bin along with other recyclables such as plastic bottles, milk cartons and tin cans. In addition, other fun projects include making binoculars out of two toilet paper rolls (check to see who is fluttering around the flower pot!), rocket ships out of paper towel rolls, or using an egg carton as a painting pallet. Part of the fun is watching your kids find other uses for everything!

Turn off the water when you brush your teeth

Why: Up to 2 gallons of water is wasted when you leave the faucet running when you brush your teeth!

How: Turn off the water! Get a 2-gallon bucket and fill it up with water. Have your kids write down a list of what can be done with the 2 gallons of water, such as water the flower garden or fill the water bowls for pets. When it is time to brush your teeth, you can think of that list and save water! Also, you can take a field trip to the local creek or lake and see first hand that we share water with the fish and other animals that live in and near the creek or lake.

Take the bus, trolley, subway, ferry or other public transportation

Why: Driving your car around town produces carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of "global warming". By taking the bus or riding the subway, we keep cars off the road and less carbon dioxide is emitted into the air.

How: Next time you go to the playground, park, local store, visit a friend, hop on a bus or a ride on a ferry! It's a fun, relaxing, new way to see your town, and avoid traffic! Take the train or BART in the bay area. Kids love train rides.

Bring your own bag to the store

Why: After we pack our groceries in plastic bags, these bags end up in landfills or get tossed in rivers and streams. 100 BILLION plastic bags are thrown away by US consumers each year, less than 1% of which are recycled. Plastic takes a long time to decompose. One plastic bag can be around for up to 1,000 years after you leave your store.

How: Get a canvas bag (made from organic cotton, of course!) and decorate with non-toxic markers or paints. Every time you go to the store, bring your bag and be sure to say "no thank you" to that plastic bag. Another fun project is to fill up that 2-gallon bucket again with dirt. Fill it with different items from around the house, a banana peel, a stinky sock, and a plastic bag. After two months (it takes a banana peel about this amount of time to decompose) you can see what happens to each item. This can help to introduce how long it takes certain items to decompose in nature and how soil uses it again (add a scoop of this nutrient rich soil to your flower pot). With your kids, create a running list of what items nature recycles and use it as a reminder for next time someone goes to throw something out.

Victoria and Kelley are founders of Little Green Star, an organic clothing line for babies and toddlers with environmentally inspired images. Little Green Star is about inspiring kids to learn about the world around us and to develop their own ideas on ways to care for the earth. When you do well in school, you get a gold star. When you do well for the environment, you get a green one! Please join us and become a Little Green Star!

 

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