Teaching about the Environment by Example

My 22 year old son was recently home from college. He went with me to the grocery store which is always a delight. Watching him choose healthy foods, including humus, pita bread, cottage cheese and fruit, reminds me that my husband and I did something right in his upbringing, because he chooses to eat a healthy diet now that he is an adult. I also discovered that he learned the lesson of caring for the environment.

As he helped me load my cloth bags filled with our food purchases into the car, he jokingly commented on what I had become. “Aren’t you cute, mom,” he said, “with your hybrid car and reusable bags.” Without ever thinking about it, I have made moves to be more environmentally conscious. I didn’t sit down with my children and preach the importance of caring for our earth. Instead, through my actions, my children can see the value of taking care of the world.




There are many things that each of us can do to protect the environment. Using a refillable water bottle and recycling the trach are really simple things that our children can witness every day. You won’t have to give them a verbal lesson when they see that these things are merely part of your everyday life.

I am always preaching “lead by example.” It’s the little things we do that our kids notice, and these provide the most forceful teaching moments of all.