It’s easy to get depressed about the state of our planet. But from time to time you witness something that gives you hope that people, habits, our society, really is changing. And nothing underlines this more than spending a bit of time with a small child.

Not long ago, when grey winter snow was melting to reveal dirty sidewalks, I was walking to drop off my two boys at daycare. Kai, my eldest, now 4, was aghast at the amount of soggy garbage strewn along his daily route. “Mama, look at all of this litter! Why did people throw it there? It’s bad for the earth!”

And then, my little sweetie proceeded to pick up every filthy juice box, torn candy wrapper and empty chip bag along the way, tucking them under his arm with his mittened hands until we reached the garbage/recycling bin at the next intersection. This became part of his morning routine, much to the amusement of passersby. I was so proud of him! It just came naturally to do something to fix the problem he saw, even if he didn’t cause it himself.

Kai often talks about “helping the earth.” He’s now become the one to remind us all to turn out the lights after leaving a room. Much he gets from us at home, but happily, his daycare also teaches the Three R’s.

And that fills me with so much hope for the future: that Kai and his friends will grow up to be much better stewards of the earth than we are, and than our parents were. The things we have learned in the last few years and habits we are trying to adopt now are just second nature to many kids.

It’s very easy to help your children to grow up thinking green. They are eager to learn, and are instinctively more in tune with nature and the environment, so they are very motivated to protect it. And little steps now will likely lead to a lifetime of green living and conservation.

Here are a few ways you can encourage your little ones to grow up green:

1.    Walk instead of drive, as much as you can; to daycare, school, the grocery store. You’ll all get some exercise and fresh air, save on gas and cut down on pollution too.

2.    Teach them to turn off the water when brushing their teeth, and even when soaping their hands in the sink.

3.    It’s never too early to start teaching kids about recycling: even toddlers can help put a bottle or can in the recycling bin, or an apple core in the green bin or compost bucket.

4.    Teach them to turn off the lights/TV/radio when leaving a room.

5.    Use stainless steel sippies and water bottles for drinking and reusable steel or glass containers for lunches and snacks. Bring your own, and refill on the go instead of using disposables.

6.    Recycled stuff + creativity = fun. Make arts and crafts from toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, old buttons, magazines, shoe boxes, dried leaves and flowers.

7.    Save all of those drawings and paintings you can’t possibly fit onto your fridge to use as gift wrap and cards. Your kids will be thrilled, and your friends and family will be charmed. Plus you save money and reduce the amount of paper produced and consumed.

8.    Plant a vegetable garden: kids love gardening, and will love helping dig in the dirt and thrill at watching plants grow before their eyes. And nothing encourages eating your vegetables more than growing your own! It will also cut down on your grocery bill, and with a little research you can avoid pesticides and know that the food you have harvested is indeed organic!

Most importantly: lead by example. Children live what they learn. The way you live and the habits they form now will stay with them for life, for better or worse. Make it for better—for them, and for the planet.

~Nancy

Nancy DeHart is a journalist and mother of two boys under four. She and her husband own Kai Kids, a Canadian online boutique specializing in ethically-made, eco-friendly clothing and accessories for babies, toddlers, new moms and moms-to-be at www.kaikids.com. She also writes a blog on her adventures in green parenting at www.blog.kaikids.com. You can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/greenmum.