When a 6 year old by the name of Skyler, comes home and is concerned about her school not recycling, it makes me smile. Or when I ask someone to recycle a drink container for me and they confess that their kids are constantly trying to get them to start recycling….that, too, makes me smile. Why? Because I see the next generation is taking over the reigns! All the efforts of the many who write, teach, and work toward environmental improvements are being heard, especially by the youngest generation. It would be scary if our kids were completely oblivious to our current global dilemma and were detached from reality and only cared for video games and communicating only via electronics. Hummm…. But it seems as though it’s the little guys that are super sensitive to the environment and are aware of the missing link between what should be done and what isn’t being done.
In defense of Principals, I will say that they are far from under-achievers. I recently had a conversation with a principal at a birthday party and asked how best to open dialogue with a principal on environmental improvements for their school and She said (and it has been my experience, as well), that the immediate concerns of a principal is typically to put out “fires” which consume a large amount of their time on a daily basis. She also talked about how on one hand they are extremely busy, underfunded and shorthanded. She, on the other hand, gave great praise to all the parents who have stepped in to fill that gap. In her school, parents have been responsible for helping to acquire grants and put some environmental activities on the docket. No small task in time and patience. And she also mentioned that if it were not for these same parents, there would not be several gardens, for example, to include a butterfly garden and vegetable garden for her students to learn, enjoy and grow. She was quite proud of their accomplishments and she did take the time to work with them and hear them out and the results were wonderful. At the same time, some parents are unquestionably experiencing the same time constraints as the school principals. Priorities are work, shelter, and “putting out fires” and recycling is no where near the importance of providing for those basics of everyday living. The kids know better, though, and if we listen they are telling us where the missing link is and it may very well be in not accessing our #1 resource, which is them.
I say, “pass on some of the responsibility to the kids”. Make it a chore worthy of an allowance. Let them create a system and some rules for the house and implement them, back them up and be available for a Saturday drive to the Recycling Center. It’s a process getting everyone on board and there is a skill in accomplishing this task, successfully. They will soon learn that there is money to be earned by collecting cans, metals, and miscellaneous papers for example. The real innovative ones will help neighbors and grandparents, their church and even their principals.
With the help of parents who recognize that their child is an environmental activist, these kids will get some real life lessons long before graduating from college. Let the kids come up with solutions to problems, organize and research a project, learn to fine tune the plan, learn how to do some fund-raising, challenge each other and learn to work together (something our politicians are having a great deal of difficulty with this skill), document results, make proposals and presentations, and start that resume, yes even at the age of six. Cultivate leadership skills instead of texting or video game skills. Give them the experience of learning that their ideas, concerns and their voice is heard and that following up and taking action is critical for the success of any change desired. Let them know that they can make a difference and that these skills can be applied to all other areas of their lives and future careers. And most importantly, slow down long enough to set an example on taking the time to hear them and help them.
So, whether you are a parent, teacher, principal, organization, church or even a blogger, and you have an environmental message…know that your message is being heard. I know this because there is a 6 year old out there, by the name of Skyler who is concerned that her school does not recycle and there is a parent out there that is listening and taking the time to address her concern, and that really makes me smile.
