In today’s date, humans are mindlessly engaging in activities that are impacting the environment in a negative way. Environmental woes are on the rise, and natural resources are depleting at a rapid rate, which is why it has become necessary for us humans to take corrective actions. This has led us to turn our attention to eco-friendly and green living. However, how can we even think of contributing towards environmental protection if we don’t sensitize our youth, our children about the same? Ideally, it would work only if we introduce children to this lifestyle early on because this is the time when kids are most embracing and porous by nature.

So today, in this article below, we, at Excelsior American School, one of the best schools in Gurgaon, will shed light on what eco-friendly living actually means and what are the different ways in which an eco-friendly lifestyle can be introduced to children. Read on.

What is an Eco-friendly Living?

To most people, being eco-friendly only means being surrounded by a lot of greenery around. It’s good to have greens around, but this doesn’t exactly complete the definition of adopting an ‘eco-friendly’ lifestyle.

Being ‘eco-friendly’ means living in a way that does not cause any harm to the environment. It is related to protecting the environment from man-made damages by focussing on minimalism, buying local, planting greens, and acting mindfully.

Here’s How You Can Introduce Your Children to the Concept of Eco-Friendly Living:

1. Let them connect with nature:

Feeling and experiencing something by themselves is much more impactful for children rather than just listening to some advice from elders. To that end, going out and experiencing nature is probably the best way to get your child on the eco-conscious journey. They’ll have difficulty understanding the importance of the environment if they’re cooped up in the house. Instead, what you can do is take them out to engage in interesting, environment-friendly activities like bicycle rides, fishing, hiking trails, and playing in parks. Try to associate the outdoor environment with excitement and fun for your children. Slowly, children will adopt habits that are in the interest of the environment.

1. Use environment-friendly transportation:

Children learn a lot through observations. Thus, as parents, it would help if you yourself act in an eco-friendly manner. For instance, avoid using your car when you are going somewhere nearby. Encourage your children to walk or ride a bicycle if the place is not far away from home. Also, explain to them the serious problem of air pollution and its effects on the environment, the most common one being climate change. We, at Excelsior American School, would like to advise the parents to keep children reminded that these actions on their part can help save a lot of fuel and protect nature from negative influences.

1. Make recycling an undeniable habit:

We all know that there are plenty of materials around us (mostly plastic) that cause harm to the environment, and the best way to deal with this problem is to recycle these materials. Recycling helps to cut down the amount of waste, especially non-biodegradable waste, which usually reaches the landfills and turns into a bigger problem. In order to teach your children about eco-friendly living, make recycling an undeniable habit in your home. Teach your children to separate waste according to their type (biodegradable and non-biodegradable) and keep different bins for each type. Also, when you’re going to dump the waste, take your children with you so they can see how recycling can be done in an organized manner.

1. Teach children to conserve water:

In our daily life, we knowingly and unknowingly end up wasting a lot of water. This especially holds true with children who love to play with water and end up wasting a lot of this valuable resource. However, that’s possibly because they are unaware that water is now turning into a scarce natural resource. The need is to educate them about these facts. Always try to encourage them to lower water usage in the house, at school, or any other place that they visit. Teach them how they can save a lot of water through simple acts like turning off the tap between brushing teeth, washing hands, and washing out shampoo while showering.

Conclusion

All this while, if you have been wondering how you can introduce your children to eco-friendly living, then now you know a couple of doable activities that will not just introduce your children to eco-friendly living but also ensure that the learning stays with them in the days to come. Once children become one with the basics of eco-friendly living, it is not far before they come to understand the many facets and importance of environmental conservation.

At Excelsior American School, ranked among the best schools in Gurgaon, we have been continuously working with our pupils to help them mold their habits into eco-friendly ones. If parents, too, can lend their support by trying to instill eco-friendly habits in the kids at home, we are sure we would be able to make a bigger and better contribution towards protecting our precious environment.