Looking for resources on how to be a more environmentally sustainable parent? Want to know how to reduce your carbon footprint with kids? Here are more than 25 great resources on green and sustainable parenting.
“Can you call yourself an environmentalist if you have kids?” reads the headline on the article. I blink. I sure as heck hope so. Otherwise, my life’s passion and my two kids are at extreme odds with each other. Despite some people who may disagree, I fully believe that you can be an environmentalist with kids. The next logical question is – how?
While it’s difficult to fit in yet another thing into our busy lives, green living doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems. No matter where we are in the process, there are a lot of good resources to help us be greener parents. A lot of “green parenting” resources focus on health issues specific to your family, like cutting out plastics or chemicals in your soap. While those have a valuable place, I’m more interested in the larger scale issues, like conserving energy and minimizing greenhouse gases.
These resources aren’t all specific to parents, but I think they’re all useful! If you’re looking for other people interested in sustainable parenting to connect with, be sure to join the Green and Sustainable Parents Facebook group.
If you want to know where to begin…
PBS has a nice top-10 list of tips to start off as a green parent. While most are pretty simple, they do include bigger picture practices like carpooling.
Ed Begley Jr.’s Living Like Ed is a funny and straight-forward guide to being more environmentally sustainable. I especially like that he rates the different actions by how easy or difficult they are.
The Department of Energy’s EnergySaver website focuses on how you can save energy in your home, from home heating to appliances.
The All You Need is Less column in the Guardian is over now, but had a great mix of tips and social exploration of the green movement.
Treehugger.com is the go-to place for green lifestyle news, while Grist.org has the most information on the political side.
No Impact Man can get kind of eye-rolling at times (how did he wash cloth diapers without a washing machine?!), but it has some good reflection on the good life for those of us who tend towards eco-despair. He also has a baby, unlike a lot of the other “eco-memoirists.”
My 10 Easy Tips to Go Green that Make a Big Difference and How to Help the Environment While Making the Most of Your Time posts offer some big-picture options that aren’t all that difficult to tackle.
If you’re already green, but looking for kid-specific information…
Green Mom has some solid posts on living sustainably with kids, especially about minimizing consumerism. I like that they include information on kid-specific environmentalism, like the kids suing the U.S. federal government over climate change.
The Zero Footprint Baby can get preachy at times, but has some good advice on adapting the green lifestyle to living with a baby.
The EcoHappiness section at Happy Science Mom shows how living the green life with children can be more fulfilling, with posts about throwing Earth Day parties, gardening with kids (yeah, that’s my post), and nature play.
The Green Mama has a lot on minimizing indoor air pollution and reducing consumerism.
My gardening posts cover everything from How to Plan a Vegetable Garden with Your Kids to How to Create the Best Low-Maintenance Garden with Kids.
If transportation is your big challenge…
DOE and EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov provides the fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions for every car available in the U.S. going back to 1984. It also has a great run-down on the differences between hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric cars.
My post How to Teach Your Kids to Love Biking and Walking provides some principles for making your school commute or errands more sustainable, active, and fun!
If you want to take public transit with small kids but are nervous about doing so, both Grist and Kids in the Stairwell have great tips and guides. Here are my reasons for why I ride the bus with my kids!
My family biking resources page has links to loads of bloggers with personal experiences, product reviews, and tips to make biking with your kids as much fun as possible.
If you want to teach your kids about being green…
NASA has ClimateKids, a great page for kids about the science of climate change.
In the post How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change, I cover such issues as considering your kids’ maturity level and providing an empowering vision of the future.
PERMIE Kids has an amazing set of resources on nature and community-based learning, with a focus on holistic sustainability. She has multiple curriculums that include tools, techniques, and activities for a variety of ages.
Parent.Co (now Motherly) has a great list of “10 Books to Read To Your Kids About Climate Change Because Science.” I seriously have to check these out, hopefully from the library.
Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future has great reviews and what look like some awesome hands-on activities that teach science and sustainability. (Disclaimer – I used to work with one of the co-authors. Now she lives in a different country, so it’s not exactly an influence on its inclusion on the list.)
Being sustainable isn’t (just) about saving the polar bears – it’s about ensuring everyone has a healthy world to live in. Living in a green way means we need to respect our neighbors’ needs, including facing up to racism and economic inequality. Learning Liberation, A Striving Parent, and Mamacademics all provide a great introduction to parenting with social justice in mind.
50 New Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth is an update of the classic that drove my environmental activism at the tender age of ten.
If you want to make some big, big changes…
Gaia’s Garden is the definitive introduction to backyard permaculture. Permaculture is about growing food and living life based on ecological principles and structures. The book can be a little overwhelming but has some great information.
Toolbox for Sustainable City Living is a guide for those who are considering going as hard-core eco-friendly as possible. The suggestions range from the relatively simple (rain barrels) to the intense (recycling human waste – seriously). The activities really are designed and adopted for those of us who live in less rural areas.
Be sure to check out all of my green living posts for sustainable parenting! You can also follow us on Facebook for more updates.