Green Child Magazine Back-to-School 2012 | Page 68

One Family’s Commitment
to the Environment
By Mary O’Donohue

In our family, August isn’t just the end of summer and the time we start thinking about
heading back to school. For us, it’s also “Commitment Month.” It’s the time of year my husband and I focus on teaching our children, and
reminding ourselves, about the importance of
making and keeping commitments in our lives.

positive change matters, even if it seems small.
So we focus on practical, concrete things we
can do as a family of four to make things better.

Throughout the month, we do simple exercises
that help our kids understand what it means
to be people who honor their commitments,
and at the end of the month, we wrap up with a
family commitment to protecting the environment.
Certainly the environmental challenges that
face our world are huge, but the commitment
we make isn’t meant to overwhelm our kids.
It’s about empowering them to know that every
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Sit down with your kids and brainstorm several specific ways you can do better environmentally in your own house. Or walk around
the house with your kids and play detective!
Where are the clues as to how your family can
make a more positive impact on the planet?
Take note of any ideas your kids suggest. As
my son says, often kids come up with solutions
where grown ups see obstacles.
Here are a few ideas my family came up with.
I don’t necessarily think any of them are
groundbreaking, but I can honestly tell you
that we were not doing these simple things