Growing up Green
Posted by lindseyshoe
Just the other day my husband asked me, “When did you start getting so green?” That was an eye opening experience for me, because suddenly I realized that in some way, shape or form, I had always been “green.”
Growing up I remember my dad placing seals around the bottom of the doors, sealing windows with plastic wrap, and using the fireplace whenever possible. I remember using things like aluminum foil and plastic sandwich bags more than once. My parents said things like, “Close the door; we aren’t heating/cooling the outside!” “I hear that faucet still running.” “You’re wasting . . . (insert your choice here) water, gas, power, electricity and so forth.”
My parents used alternative forms of heating and cooling our home whenever possible.
We grew and ate food in our garden, and took eco-friendly vacations where we tuned out the rest of the world–no cell phones, computers, or cable TV. We picked wild foods such as strawberries and blueberries. We grew our own apples and pears. We canned, and used the canning materials over again each year. While we didn’t hurt for new clothing, our first stops were garage sales, consignment stores, and thrift stores like Goodwill.
My mom used medicinal herbs to help us stay healthy. I remember an aloe vera plant was the first course of treatment for any burn.
My father would hunt and fish in season and would use what he caught, shot, or trapped, and only what he could use, sell, or give to other families.
We combined trips, worried about gas mileage, and adjusted our thermostats to save electricity.
I was told to “use the other side of the paper,” which could explain why my coupons are printed on paper announcements from my children’s school.
Vacations were eco-friendly, with hiking and admiring nature as part of our experiences, as well as leaving it as we found it.
To be honest, I don’t think for one minute my parents were thinking about saving energy or the environment. I don’t think they were considering renewable energy or creating an earth that would be there for future generations.
While they weren’t the greenest of parents, they set a good example, so how can I explain this “going green” before it was popular? My parents were raised on farms where everything that could be used was, over and over again. They learned about being self-sustainable probably long before it was a catch phrase. They learned that consumption also equals financial disaster. They learned things like “waste not, want not.” They learned that “a penny saved is a penny earned.” With that example, how could I not turn out caring for the environment and trying to make the most of whatever I can for the earth and my children?
With more life experiences and education, I was able to take those tools that my parents gave me regarding nature, the environment, and wastefulness just one step (okay, in some cases two or three) further. Happily, with the example set by their grandparents and parents, my children can do even more.
I could honestly answer my husband, “I have always been green; caring for the environment, nature, and trying to make the most of the conveniences available to me,” and hopefully many years from now my children will too. It all starts with just those small steps that we teach our children.
What started you on your green journey? We would love to hear your story here at Greenjoyment.
For tips on growing your children green, visit:
Growing Green Children
Interview with Dr. Robert Sears: Green Parenting
Greening your Baby Gear
Getting to the Bottom of Green Potty Products
Parent Resources for Growing Green Children
Avoiding nature deficit disorder in your children
3 Responses to “Growing up Green”
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Ayushman says:
I like your article.
This reminds me how my father helps us makes us learn to be more eco-friendly. He takes us to treks and excursions deep into the forest.
When i was a kid, he used to make me learn and remember the names of the birds that used to visit our balcony(and not to forget, he also used to imitate their chirpings), those trees while we used to go for a walk outside.
Now i am 20, stay away from my parents but i always have it in my subconscious mind to save resources like water, electricity, etc. and limiting consumption in every aspect and making most of the things we already have. -
Robert Murrieta says:
Odd… I just found your website by searching for ‘financial spreadbetting’ on Yahoo. But I can’t find any posts about that on here?
part of me going green is dumpster diving , i love it i get all my 5 gal buckets my plastic plant pots , peices of steel that i weld up to make somting new, to use sell or give away tolls to rebuild, allfor free, iget free mulch from the public works yard to grow really big tomatoes and other large vegggies in.,NO HUMAN WAST EFFLUENT.use ammonian nitrate fertlizer only small amount, dont need the rest, they load it for free, and it is free, i also thank GOD…