They know where to toss old soda cans. They flip off the lights when they leave their room. They understand that outgrown clothes and toys are donated to Goodwill, and that it’s important to use a canvas bag at the market.
Yes, even the youngest of family members throughout Dallas are familiar with the basic steps of eco-friendly living. And while every yard of weather stripping and every gallon of low-toxin paint makes a difference, there are other, even greater, actions families can take together to promote a worldview of environmental responsibility. In an environmental context, sustainability refers to the quest to preserve life on Earth through practices that protect agriculture, atmosphere and all resources. But these far-reaching efforts start at home.
Around the World
To most Dallas children, faraway places where the Wii is non-existent and kids run around without shoes may seem like a fictional world. The idea of going hungry never enters into their reality. But the children of underprivileged countries aren’t debating between soccer lessons and ballet class – they are working and farming and doing whatever they can to help their parents sustain their lifestyle. There are nonprofit organizations that help families foster the teachings of animal management, agroecology (green agricultural techniques) and other sustainability methods through the sale of livestock that is gifted to families living in impoverished communities. Third World citizens raise the animals as a food source or for husbandry, learning sustainable practices such as crop rotation and the utilization of wind power.
Plano resident Marty Coates introduced one such organization, Heifer International, to her family, and together they gift animals in lieu of presents for the holidays. With each donation, they receive a story of what the animals were used for and how the donation helped the community.
“I felt this was something that honored them,” Coates says of her family. “We gave things like chickens and geese – things (the kids) could associate with. The recipient may have a cow and later on they have to give a cow to someone else. Donations perpetuate.”
Beneficiaries not only receive animals, but they’re also taught by the organization how to feed and care for the animals, from shearing lamb wool to cleaning cows. Through an online marketplace (heifer.org), children can donate their allowance or Tooth Fairy money to purchase animals for families in the quest to become self-reliant. A donation of $20 can purchase a flock of ducks, $60 buys a trio of rabbits and $500 is enough for a full-grown cow.
“(Donations become) an opportunity – like a job, like a total blessing,” Coates says.
Another venue for children to learn the impact of philanthropy and sustainability on a global scale is through microfinancing. This is the act of making a small loan (often less than $100) to people in need so they may start or sustain a business. Often the donations are made to people living in Third World countries like Bangladesh or Nicaragua where economies depend on small, specialty businesses. Typically, loaners see a 2 percent or 3 percent return, so children who help in the cause also enjoy a small, but significant financial benefit. Two of the most well-known Web sites for microfinance are microplace.com and kiva.com. By logging in to their account, children can track their investments and see their dollars doing good.
City Efforts
Local cities have specific initiatives in place that focus on sustainability, and many programs welcome family participation. For example, Dallas-based Texas Trees Foundation organizes tree-planting initiatives all over the area in which children and adults can weed, mulch, water, transplant seedlings and more.
The Dallas area is also focused on fostering environmental responsibility by participating in various programs with Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a national volunteer-based organization that conducts recycling projects, clean-up and beautification activities and other education programs all year. Families, Scouts and youth groups participate, and within the North Texas area, there are more than 50 affiliate communities, including Dallas and Plano.
“Keep America Beautiful affiliates are a wonderful partner for families. (There are) Adopt-a-Spot programs where a family may adopt a park, creek or section of road to maintain on their schedule,” says Cecile Carson, national director of affiliate certification for KAB. “Educational programs give parents and children an opportunity to learn together. Activities can be conducted at home or in the yard, such as recycling, composting and planting a tree.”
To reinforce environmental lessons, the city of Dallas has created the Environmental Education Initiative (EEI), an in-school program funded by the city of Dallas Water Utilities and Sanitation departments. In partnership with the University of North Texas, college students visit schools within the Dallas Independent School District to deliver fun, easy-to-understand lessons to kids in kindergarten through fifth grade on recycling and water conservation. In 2008, more than 10,000 students participated in the program, says Yvonne Dupré, water conservation program coordinator for the Water Utilities.
“The goal of the program is to make students more aware of how their behavior (and the behavior of their family and friends) impacts the environment. We know that these kids will someday be homeowners, parents, teachers and role models, so we want them to know how their choices affect their community and the world,” Dupré says. “We also know that in addition to being educated, kids can educate others.”
Dupré says that since EEI is an in-school program, parents can talk with teachers to arrange for class presentations. Schools, both public and private, within the Dallas city limits can register for the program via DallasEEI.org.
The city of Plano is also taking steps to educate citizens on the benefits of environmentally-friendly living. The campaign, “Live Green in Plano” (plano.gov), hosts information sessions at area libraries on topics such as water conservation, recycling and other tips for adults and children on green living. Other cities north of Dallas, such as Allen, McKinney and Frisco, are taking note of Plano’s efforts and are enlightening residents on the benefits and convenience of reducing one’s impact on the environment with free informational sessions and direct mail.
Fruits (and Veggies) of Your Labor
Choosing to consume organic foods – those grown locally and without the use of pesticides – requires an extra effort to seek out grocers or farmers markets that carry these specialty items, and most of the time organics cost more than regular foods. So why not make a family commitment to cultivate your own vegetable garden? Growing fruits and vegetables is a long-term activity in which everyone can participate, and even toddlers can help by digging in the dirt or carrying small items, such as seed packets or gloves.
Heidi Heck lives in Dallas with her husband and 1-year-old son, Remy. She’s an avid gardener of potatoes, garlic, onions, tomatoes, habanera peppers, lettuce and more. Heck became interested in gardening a few years ago, and her passion grew when she realized it was a part of her life she could share with her son.
“As a child raised on box meals and TV dinners, it never really occurred to me where my food came from until I started gardening,” Heck says.
Gardening perhaps best illustrates the fundamentals of environmental responsibility. Children can take turns watering, pruning, picking and replenishing foods, experiencing firsthand the pragmatic results of their sweat equity. And since organic gardening requires a longer-term time commitment, lessons in eco-friendliness and sustainability can be reinforced throughout the season as the vegetables are harvested.
Creating a home-grown food supply yields three fundamental advantages – cost savings associated with purchasing less produce from the market, knowing from where the family’s food is actually coming and the benefit of having children see, and enjoy, the fruits of their labor.
Teaching children easy but high-impact ways to donate time, energy and monetary resources can have an enormous effect on their worldview. When it comes to environmental responsibility and sustainability, children learn first through example and then through their own experiences. As the world continues to change and as globalization becomes the standard way of life for children, thinking about methods for protecting the environment on a local and global scale will have the greatest impact on reinforcing and maintaining what you love best – your family.
Updated 8/1/12
