5 Ways to Pass Down Environmental Values to Your Children

*******Welcome to the Earth Day Blog CarnivalThis post is part of the 2012 Earth Day Blog Carnival hosted by Child of the Nature Isle and Monkey Butt Junction. Each participant has shared their practices and insights of earth friendly, environmentally conscious, eco-living. This carnival is our way to share positive information and inspiration that can create healing for our planet. Please read to the end of this post to find a list of links to the other carnival participants. Happy Earth Day!***
In celebration of Earth Day 2012, I would like to share how I hope to pass down environmental values to my son (and soon to arrive daughter).
1. Take the time to appreciate nature.
I've written about the efforts that we've made to help Baby appreciate the natural world, and I really believe that they have made a big impact upon him. At 22 months, he has now spent the majority of his life loving the outdoors and animals. I have made a conscious effort to point out a beautiful flower, an interesting tree, a brightly colored bird, etc. Baby now does the same thing. He loves to describe elements of nature and is so enthusiastic about everything having to do with the outdoors. Baby is now a constant reminder to me to appreciate the smallest beauties in life, which I love.If your little ones appreciate the world around them, they are more likely to take care of it throughout their lives.
2. Play outside.
It's so simple, but whether you take a family hike, play a game of hide and seek outside, collect acorns, or pet animals at the local farm, you are helping your child create lasting memories of a world that is worth preserving.
3. Model the environmental values that you hope to pass along to your children.
Any effort that you make to live a greener life can make an impact on your child, and baby steps certainly count for a lot! Whether you recycle, use non-toxic cleaners, or simply make a resolution to take 3 easy steps toward a green living lifestyle, your children will absorb this and begin to do these things on her own at some point.
4. Normalize green living.
Just think how easy it will be for your children to make many of the green choices that have taken us as parents so much effort. I personally did not grow up recycling or trying to choose non-toxic versions of the personal care products in my life. I had to unlearn that the smell of Windex or the artificial lemon scent of floor cleaner was not really clean; I had to forget the strong artificial scents of soaps and creams as the products that I coveted for my body. I learned too far along in life that I didn't need to smell like bubble gum to feel clean. If your children grown up with green and non-toxic choices being part of normal life, they will never have to put in the effort that we did to green our families lives. It will simply be the obvious and natural choices that they make over and over again throughout their lives.
5. Talk about it.
Be open about why you make certain choices. Read books that emphasize the beauty of our world and the need for preservation. Ask your children for their opinions about environmental issues. Take trips to see natural wonders. You don't have to pretend to be a green living expert. You just need to let your children know that it is important that you all care about the environment as a family.
How to you hope to pass down environmental values to your children?

Thank you for stopping by the 2012 Earth Day Blog Carnival! Please relax and take time to read these other great eco-living posts:

• You are a Child of the Earth - Using the Earth as their classroom, Patti from Canadian Unschool teaches her 4 children their spiritual connection to the Earth and she accepts that loving the Earth can get really, really messy.
• Cutting Out Paper - Jorje of Momma Jorje shares how she went from curiosity and concern to actually cutting out the use of paper towels in her household. She is proud to be "greener" as each Earth Day passes.
• The World is Brown - Debra Ann Elliot of Words are Timeless believes in keeping the Earth green, but because so many people inhabit the Earth it is turning brown because people aren't doing their part by reducing, reusing, and recycling.
• 7 Child And Eco Friendly Activities To Honor The Earth (Plus Some Environmental Books For Kids) - Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her favorite books that help children become more aware of the importance of respecting and caring for Mother Earth. In addition, she hosts a guest post outlining seven child and eco friendly activities to honor the earth.
• 5 Ways We Teach Our Children To Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - Valarie at Momma In Progress shares a few tips for encouraging young children to care for the earth.
• Little Changes - Big Results - Meegs at A New Day talks about how sometimes it’s the little decisions and changes that can lead us to find big results, and how she's baby-stepping her way to a more environmentally conscious lifestyle.
• Inspiring the Next Generation - aNonyMous at at Radical Ramblings hopes to inspire her daughter to live a green and sustainable lifestyle, in the same way she was inspired by her high-school science teacher, and talks about the changes her family are making towards this vision.
• Eco-Friendly Cleansers: Safe For the Environment, Healthy For Every Body - Rebekah at Liberated Family writes about safe and natural alternatives to toxic, household cleaning products..
• Lightening My Footprint with Cloth Nappies (Diapers) - Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares the biggest eco-choice she has made so far, and why she is so passionate about it.
• Clutter Free for a Cause - At Living Peacefully with Children Mandy's penchant for decluttering and simple living cuts down on consumerism, taking less of a tole on the Earth.
• Eco-Parenting: Homemade Bug Spray - Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares a homemade bug spray recipe that helps her family to enjoy the natural world while taking precautions against bug bites.
• Let the Scales Fall From My Eyes...Just Not Too Quickly - Kelly at Becoming Crunchy talks about the discomfort of no longer being able to live in denial over how her choices affect the world around her.
• Fostering Love of Earth - Justine at The Lone Home Ranger instills a love of nature in her daughters by embarking on their first backyard vegetable garden together.
• Being in Nature - Carrie at Love Notes Mama knows that just being in nature is more than enough.
• 5 Ways to Pass Down Environmental Values to Your Children - Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares how easy it can be to instill environmental values in your children.
• Viva Portlandia - Amy at Anktangle writes about the place she lives and loves in: Portland. She describes the ways this green city makes it easy for her family to take care of our earth, and also the steps she's taking to further lessen her family's environmental impact.
• Conspicuous Conservationism - Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction examines the phenomenon of eco-conscious behavior as a status symbol.
• Time for Radical Sustainability - Terri at Child of the Nature Isle ponders how she can model a truly sustainable lifestyle for her children and raise them in a way that their environmental consciousness is as natural as breathing!

A big thank you to all of the 2012 Earth Day Blog Carnival participants!