Green Parenting: How to Raise an Environmentally Conscious Child

Is it ethical to have a child now, with all the existential threats to the future of the planet and human race? Between climate change and the nuclear threat, will there be a planet to live on in 20 years time, never mind 50 or 100 years? Why is having a child the worst thing one can do in terms of carbon footprint and negative impact on the environment? What can environmentally conscious parents do to minimise the impact of raising a family on the planet?

We considered these questions and many more as we gave careful consideration to the idea of starting a family. Back and forth we went, before deciding that we have no way of knowing what the future holds. However, the future rather depends on the next generation being well versed in climate science and the changes we need to make as a global community.

And that requires adults who are invested in the future of the planet to procreate and inform their children about the challenges we face as a global community, and what science is telling us about the best approach to tackle them.

So, we decided to give it a go! And soon our beautiful baby joined our wee family.

However, we’ve had to make our intentions clear from the outset and set boundaries with friends and family. We have really gone out of our way over the last 8 years or so to declutter our lives and minimise our impact on the environment in various ways.

Saying “No” to Consumerism and Materialism

All our purchases are very intentional with a view to almost eradicating single-use plastics from our home, only buying what we need and choosing the most ethical and eco-friendly option available. My husband and I were both absolutely determined that our efforts would not be undone by the arrival of our baby.

There is a huge market around baby products (like any big life event). New parents are told that they “need” so much stuff to take care of their precious little bundle, with the implication that they are doing their child a disservice by not acquiring all of these items.

Well-meaning grandparents, extended family and friends expect the new mummy and daddy to compile a gift list so that everyone knows what to buy.

All of this in addition to baby showers, gender reveal parties and the list goes on and on.

We firmly said “no” to all of the above, after I heard a statistic that there are a whopping 7 times more baby items than there are children on the planet. Most of this stuff is bought new, hardly used and then discarded.

The volume of clothes that are brand new with tags, which a savvy parent can pick up via second-hand sale platforms, again highlights that most parents buy or are gifted far more than they need for their little person.

I picked up almost all our baby clothes second hand. Several friends who have completed their families also passed on various useful items. And we resisted some extreme pressure and guilt-tripping over our decision not to buy a whole new suite of nursery furniture. Instead, we chose to use a chest-of-drawers and rocking chair that we already owned, and my husband’s family heirloom cot.

The only things I purchased new were the car seat (an all-singing, all-dancing one which will do us right up to the point of graduating from car/booster seats altogether) and the cot mattress.

We are keen to keep gifting minimal for Christmas and birthdays going forward. We already have ideas for a few things we can make for the next couple of years and have asked family and friends to keep gifts small and consider second hand items rather than buying brand new. I have also tried to deter family from gifting other than on these occasions.

Minimising Waste

We have chosen to use cloth nappies rather than disposable ones, to cut down on the amount of waste going to landfill. I bought a selection of cloth nappies, mostly second hand, and have been really impressed with them so far!

We have also been using reusable wipes with water instead of wet wipes and cotton wool. No chemicals, no waste!

I am also very fortunate that I have been able to breast feed, so we are not having to buy in tins of formula or all of the associated paraphernalia for bottle feeding.

Transportation

Despite living in a fairly remote and rural area, we manage to do the majority of our local travel by bicycle. We are keen to continue this, even with the wee one in tow. I had been considering investing in a cargo bike for some time, even before I became pregnant, to make the weekly shop and fetching large sacks of animal feed easier.

Now that the baby is here, knowing that she won’t be able to sit on a rack-mounted seat for a little while, I have taken the plunge and bought a front-loading cargo bike.

I really want two-wheeled travel to be the norm for the wee one growing up, and for trips in the car to be a rare event. If we do need to go further afield, then we can have a little adventure on public transport.

Diet

We adhere to an “almost-vegan” diet and aim to produce as much of our own food as we are able to on our small-holding. I believe it is important that children know where their food comes from and the environmental impact of various dietary choices. Little One will be seeing this first hand herself and will be mucking in before long!

We are still undecided about how to tackle social situations where meat, dairy and commercial eggs are on offer. My feeling is that we explain that people make different dietary choices for various reasons; some people are allergic to certain ingredients, some people make choices because of their religion, we choose not to eat animal products except for eggs from our own hens for environmental and welfare reasons. Watch this space…

Day Trips and Holidays

We have made a conscious choice not to fly or holiday abroad for many years now. Our current set up with the vegetable garden and animals has made it almost impossible for us to be away from home in recent years. But even before we bought the small-holding, we favoured cycling and walking adventures over the Spring and Summer, and cosy cottage getaways during Winter.

Away days now are also limited by our livestock; we need to be home to let the hens out in the morning and put them away at night, and take care of everything else in between.

We do try to get out for beach and forest walks locally when time allows!

Again, it is my hope that growing up with this being the norm will give Little One a healthy appreciation for The Great Outdoors, and curb any demands for trips to Disneyworld! And spending lots of time outside with two adults who enjoy nature and care about the environment will give plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate around these important topics.

Summary

So there you have it! In a nutshell, we want to keep things minimal as far as clothes, toys and any other baby-gear are concerned, opting for second-hand wherever possible. Rather than paying for days out to entertain our wee one, we intend to spend lots of time outside on the small-holding or locally in nature. We are not changing our habits around transport and will continue to travel by bike. And we’ll be using all the things we do “differently” compared to a mainstream upbringing as talking points for discussion and education from the outset.

Please leave a comment if you’re also trying to raise your little one to respect the environment.