Last week, my son and his classmates were coached to grab trash and run the length of the soccer field where a variety of recepticals – land fill, recycling, and compost awaited. They were directed to dispose of the trash in the correct places to maximize reuse and minimize what goes to the landfill. “I didn’t learn anything new,” my son huffed at the end of the day annoyed by the exercise. This is because he’s taken several courses in environmental science and now understands far more than I do about the state of our planet. I was glad he was outside in the fresh air getting exercise and thinking about the Earth on a regular school day. And if it got his environmental justice juices flowing, I’m all for it!

Here are just a few facts to get us thinking and feeling too:

• Humans are using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our current way of life and our ecosystem cannot keep up with our demands (Becoming Generation Restoration, UNEP).

• One million of the world’s estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction (IPBES).

• Seventy-five percent of the Earth’s land surface has been significantly altered by human actions, including 85 percent of wetland areas (IPBES).

• Close to 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited or depleted (UNCTAD).

Learning about what’s happening to our planet challenges our minds and hearts as we learn difficult facts about the changes occurring. A worldwide survey found that 59% of youth and young adults said they were “very” or “extremely worried” about climate change.¹ We can feel overwhelmed by the problem and wonder if we can make any difference. But we do have agency and we can start immediately right at home. I learned through my son’s high school environmental science courses based on solid research that one family can move the needle on improving the environment. No, they cannot change the world simply by recycling. But if you and your family take steps to care for the environment, talk about what you are doing and how you prioritize it, and share that with friends, school, and community, that social influence can make a real difference. After all, we are stronger when we focus our efforts together.

Though we celebrate Earth Day once per year, we need to be concerned about our living planet every day. We have an opportunity to cultivate a generative, reciprocal relationship between our children and our planetary home. If we think about caring for our planet as a relationship then it offers us a clear direction in building that relationship with our family. Here are some ways to cultivate a relationship with our living planet with your family:

1. Invite Earth to Dinner! 

We need to dialogue about how we are caring for our environment on a regular basis – whether we are conserving water, composting food scraps, or picking up liter at the local park. Discussing the simple small steps you are taking makes the role of our living planet come to life in a more substantial way. We can also reflect on the gifts that the environment gives us including the vegetables on our dinner plate. How does the planet contribute daily to your family’s life? These reflections stir awareness and gratitude.

2. Show Care Together.

If you are fortunate enough to have a yard or even a park nearby, involve your child in caring for it. Gardening in particular can be an important way to get your hands in the soil and experience the wonder of the Earth. Plant flowers or vegetables seeds or starters together. Tend to the seedlings. Watch them grow. Harvest and enjoy the rewards of your hard work. Gardening requires daily care, kindness, focus, and patience. These are valuable lessons for children to participate in. If you live near a park, pick up trash together. Talk about the kinds of plants, birds, squirrels and other critters you observe there. Learn from their behaviors. Reflect on how it makes you feel to be in nature and to connect with nature. Showing care together is how you begin to cultivate that life-giving, reciprocal relationship.

3. Read, Listen, and Learn

“There are many literary works that evoke a sense of wonder, of place, of the healing powers of nature, of encounter with the divine in things seen and unseen.” Check out this outstanding list of children’s books. Read and learn together! Or listen and learn. We love this podcast by 13-year-old Zachary Fox-Devol entitled “We the Children – Kids Talk Climate Change.” And finally, when you go out to spend time in nature, take a notebook or journal and document and draw what you observe. Become curious about plant types, bird species, and animal behaviors. The more you learn about the specifics of nature, the more you will feel an investment in its well-being.

4. Go to Nature for Healing

If you or your child are feeling worn out, overwhelmed, anxious or generally unwell, consider nature as one of the ways in which you’ll help yourself and/or your child feel better. Go for a hike. Sit on the grass. Find a creek to put your feet in. Leave the screens behind. Get your daily dose of nature. Teach your children that nature can become an integral and essential part of their wellness.

5. Bring the Planet into your Family Decision-making

As you make decisions like where to go on vacation or which car to buy next, make sure that our living planet is considered in each decision that you make. Use the indigenous principle of thinking forward to the consequences for seven generations ahead of us. When you do, you’ll discover that your decisions change considerably and you can feel deeply satisfied that you are taking your caring relationship with the Earth to heart.

“Mother Nature is sending us a message. Climate change isn’t just something to plan for in the future – It’s here now.”³ Each one of us is responsible for our own relationship with our living planet. And as parents, we have an added responsibility in helping our children learn about their own relationship. What better time is there to get started then now?

References:

1. Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R.E., & Mayall, E.E. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: A global survey. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5, 12: E863-E873.
2. Trousdale, A.M., & DeMoor, E.A. (2005). Literature that helps children connect with the Earth. Encounter; Education for Meaning and Social Justice, 18, 3: 46-51.
3. Mann, M.E. (2023). Resisting the New Denialism. In The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg. NY: Penguin Books.