The Green Parent

Why do you strive to be a Green Parent? The Green Parent asked and you answered….

“I’m a green parent because I was raised by green parents. I was raised to be aware of how I spend the planet’s finite resources. Now that I’m a parent, I want to leave my children a clean planet. I want Max to be a responsible steward of Earth’s resources.”

Marti, San Diego CA, mom to 3 yr old Max

“I want my son to see “being green” as a part of a normal, everyday lifestyle so it becomes second nature, like brushing our teeth or cleaning up after dinner. One just does those things automatically. Let’s add purchasing natural, local, healthy foods and reusing and recycling what we can to that list.”

Julia, Holyoke, MA, mom to 5 yr old Connor

“We are citizens of the world, not just to our country. We have a duty to take care of the place where we reside.”

Sandra, Atlanta, GA mom to Amber, 7

“To set an example, to create a “norm” for my son that he will use as a basis for his own life in the future. But also to avoid guilt. I think environmental awareness is reaching a tipping point, so much so that parents are having to become accountable to their children. It’s almost like facing your children if you are a smoker. At school, my son is learning about environmental responsibility and what he can do at home. He and his classmates are coming home and asking why we are throwing that plastic bottle away and why we don’t have a compost pile or a garden.”

Raina, Menomonie, Wisconsin, mom to 5 yr old Cole

“It’s important to me to be a green parent because I recognize the opportunity hidden in the crisis that our planet faces. I believe we at a unique moment in time where the most creative and brilliant people are turning their energy toward solutions. It’s a renaissance of ideas that will help us towards regenerating the earth. I want my children to be part of that.”

Olivia, San Francisco, CA, mom to Jacqueline and Sophia (aged 7 and 13).

“The most important reason was selfish– I wanted our kid and her kid(s) to have a planet worth living on.”

Timothy, Seattle, WA, dad to 16 year old Katie

“As a parent I think of my job as helping my kids be resilient, exploratory, passionate, and compassionate. Both my husband and I have long standing commitments to green stemming back to our days as children and time spent in the woods and now as working adults in environmental careers. Being a green parent means exposing ones children to the joys of the environment and the responsibilities to maintaining it.”

Ellen, mom to 3 boys aged 17, 15, and 11, Wayland, MA

“I strive to be a green parent because is incredibly important that the generations that will be most impacted by climate change understand that aspects of our planet are changing and why. It is even more important for them to feel empowered to make small thoughtful adjustments in their own lives, which collectively help the planet.”

Liza, mom to 3 girls aged 3, 7 and 10, Needham, MA

“As an herbalist and mother, I have seen first hand the damage that harmful chemicals can inflict on our children. While I do feel it is responsible to care for the environment, my main driving force is the health of my children, and I have found that “green” living is the healthiest way to raise children. Of course, the benefit for the environment is an added bonus!”

Jessie, mom to 3, in Spring Hill TN

So, why do you strive to be a Green Parent?