Green Living Made Simple
How Can Our Family Make a Difference?
You don’t have to look very hard to find news about the problems facing our planet. The good news, however, is that more and more kids and families are doing what they can to make a difference. They’re recycling. They’re making smarter choices when shopping. They’re cutting back on driving and increasing their walking and biking. They’re acting now—and they’re learning more to find out what else they can do.
By taking creative, easy steps, families can live and act in ways that promote “going green” and making our planet more sustainable for our generation and those in the future.
Did You Know?
- When asked to evaluate responses to global climate change, most kids give their family and school a B-,1 and their country a C-.2
- About one out of four kids ages 5 to 12 believes he can make a difference in improving the environment.3 Only 18 percent of teens agree.4
- The top four ways kids predict their family will help the environment includes living in an energy-efficient home (36%), owning a hybrid car (27%), always shopping with reusable bags (24%), and growing their own vegetable garden (13%).5
- According to Search Institute research, 68 percent of young people say it’s quite or extremely important to make the world a better place to live.6
1. Scholastic Magazine, “2009 Environmental Report Card: Kids Hold Hope for Future, But Say Current Efforts Aren’t Enough.”
3. Roots & Shoots, “R&S/Weekly Reader How Green Is Our Future? Poll: Kids Concerned about Environment,” news release, April 21, 2006.
5. Scholastic Magazine.
6. Search Institute, Developmental Assets: A Profile of Your Youth (Minneapolis: Search Institute, 2005), Appendix A-1, unpublished report.
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Everyday Steps are the little things you can do as a parent, every day. These little steps add up to successful kids in the long run. Look for the Everyday Steps icon throughout ParentFurther, and remember: The little things you do—every day—add up!