His name is David and he recently turned 7 years old. Rather than ask for remote control cars and video games, he asked for donations, all of which he gave to the Alliance for Climate Protection (our nonprofit that houses the We Campaign). Accompanying the money was a hand written note, in unmistakably 7-year old handwriting:

“Dear Alliance for Climate Protection. I am sending you chek’s that add up to 400$ that I collected at my 7th birthday party insted of presents. thank you for trying to save the earth. love David feigeison.”

As any teacher or parent knows, sometimes it is the simplest acknowledgments that carry the most meaning. Taped to our office refrigerator door, this note is an inspiring reminder of the importance of our mission. Unless the necessary actions are taken now, unless policymakers step up and pass smart legislation, unless the international community comes together and commits to changing their energy consumption patterns, David’s generation will find themselves raising their kids in a world that looks drastically different from that of today. The time to address this issue is now. We owe it to David to help ensure that our children inherit a healthy planet.

Let’s hope that the older generation doesn’t continue to wreck the climate and the planet in their race for short-term economic gains. After all, they are borrowing the planet from David and the rest of the younger generation.

Also read: Angry kids against the grownups inaction

They say it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and this is never so true as in the case of adults who find it hard to change habits and characteristics that have been formed over a lifetime. And this is why it’s imperative that we teach our children the importance of good habits right from childhood, when they’re at a more malleable age and tend to listen to adults. Saving the environment may not be child’s play, but it is a child’s place to get involved in the process.

There’s a pressing need today to increase awareness of the crisis called global warming that’s looming large and threatening the very existence of the earth. And there’s no better time than now to educate our kids on the harm we human beings are causing the environment with our indiscriminate and irresponsible use of energy and other resources. If your children understand today how important it is that we save the environment from ourselves, they will have learnt a valuable lesson for life. If not, there’s a serious chance that they may not have a world to leave behind for their children and future generations to come. Here’s how kids can contribute to saving the environment:

• Turn out the lights and other electrical appliances when they’re not in use. Energy not used is energy saved.
• Pick up litter and recycle stuff like paper and metal cans, bottles and cardboard. Recycling helps save on the amount of trash we send to landfills and also conserves natural resources like aluminum and trees.
• Use water sparingly and close the taps tightly so that there are no leaks.
• Ride a bike, take a bus, carpool or walk to school rather than get mom to drive them over.
• Plant trees with their parents or as an initiative at school. Trees are good for the environment because they create oxygen, prevent erosion of the soil, create homes for wildlife, save on air conditioning and heating costs depending on the season, and regulate climate change.
• Take part in neighborhood and school green programs.
• Get parents to buy and eat only organic food.
• Take a quick shower to conserve water.
• Use notebooks without wasting paper.
• Take a lunch box to school rather than a paper bag.
• Use green pencils that are made of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
• Go on green vacations to places near you.
• Eat food that is produced locally.
• Send emails rather than letters and cards that use up paper and fuel to get to their destination.
• Buy gadgets that are energy efficient and come with the Energy Star rating.
• Buy recyclable products that have the three-arrow-circle recyclable mark.

Getting kids involved in doing their bit towards the environment will go a long way in changing the way they live and in the choices they make.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of green shopping. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Image above is based on a photo by a4gpa.