Growing Sustainable Together This Holiday Season
And a it's Our Feet on the Ground's first book giveaway...
With COVID-19 numbers on the rise, families are trying to figure out how to have a meaningful holidays season. This might be the perfect opportunity to start some new family traditions aimed at sustainability.
This week is the first of a series helping you have a meaningful (and green!) holiday season without the splashy vacations, giant family gatherings, or fabulous soirees.
We’re starting off with a giveaway (read to the end for details) and some tangible tips from science writer, author, and super-mom Shannon Brescher Shea. Shannon gives us a sneak peak at her book by telling us tips for raising kind, engaged and resilient kiddos.
How can parents to take meaningful action to raise the kinds of kids you talk about in your book?
Each chapter of my book looks at how a specific area of sustainability benefits families in terms of teaching kindness and valuable life skills as well as tips on how to live it out. They include topics as diverse as food, anti-materialism, and outdoors volunteerism. But the thread that runs through it all is to find ways for everyday activities to spark conversations and then use those conversations to launch even more action. For example, when you hear something about climate change in the news, you can use it to start a conversation with your children. That first conversation could then lead to a discussion - then or later - about how you can tackle climate change in your own city, which could lead to participating in a protest or writing to your city council.
Since writing the book, what new advice might you add for parents about raising kids who value sustainability?
That sustainability isn't just about our society, but about sustainability for ourselves. I despise the "take time to take care of yourself!" message, especially because there are so many parents who simply can't do that, even before COVID. But something COVID is teaching everyone is how so many of us were already hanging by a thread. Even if you can't get time or space by yourself, there are activities that can both build your personal sustainability while also being environmentally friendly and socially-conscious. Taking walks or bike rides in a socially-distanced fashion are fantastic family activities that are also stress-relieving. Even with the colder weather coming, getting outside in nature and finding joy in small beauties can provide a lot of comfort. When I look up at the stars or moon and know there is no way we as humans can mess those up, it's a bit of a relief!
What's one thing parents can do today to make a real difference?
Engage your kids in political action. The new administration is saying that climate change will be one of their top four issues and COVID is offering an unprecedented opportunity to make major changes in our economy. This period of time before the inauguration is the time to let Biden and Harris as well as members of Congress know how important this priority is to your family. While there aren't any marches going on, writing or calling can still be powerful. Even tagging them on social media sends a message!
How do you handle the anxiety of our climate crisis (as a mom)?
I joke that learning to handle anxiety over climate change prepared me well for handling anxiety over COVID! But to an extent, it's true. I'm finding that certain coping mechanisms, like finding comfort in nature and outdoors exercise, have been essential for helping me through this difficult period. While I have particular difficulty compartmentalizing, focusing on what is in front of me in any given moment - whether it's my kids or my day job - helps a lot. I make myself think, "Okay, is there anything I can do about this right now? No, well, let's think about something else." It's still hard, but it's not as paralyzing.
What's one thing you'd want to say to parents who are feeling despair over the state of our planet?
Come up with an ideal vision of the future that's better for all people than our current system. Then work towards fulfilling that future instead of being scared of a bad one. Hope - the belief that things can be better - is much more motivating and healthy than fear. The last activity in my book is working with your kid to create an ideal city and think through the various ways the citizens would get food, water, transportation, etc. We can do the same thing as adults, especially if we think about how that city would or wouldn't serve all people.
As we go into the holidays in the US, what advice do you have for parents for having a more earth-friendly holiday season?
Focus on experiences over gifts, even if they're more limited than usual this year. We do an Advent calendar with a different activity each day, including service ones (choosing an animal from the Oxfam Gifts catalog), environmental ones (making the birds Christmas ornaments), logistical Christmas ones (getting a tree), and family ones (baking cookies). Because people have had so many restrictions this year, there's going to be a temptation to go overboard with physical gifts. But before you buy something, think about 1) How long will my kid use this? 2) How well will it hold up before breaking or before you lose key pieces? 3) Is it something the whole family can play or just the kid? 4) How will I feel about this item six months from now? Those can help us narrow down our kids' wish lists.
This Week’s Action:
Use Shannon’s tips/questions about holiday gifts to reconsider the young people in your lives’ holiday wish lists. How can you as a family rethink your gift-giving in one small way to have less impact on the Earth?
Here’s an example from my family. We celebrate Hanukah, which is not as big a deal as Christmas (but my kids are American, and have seen how their cousins are showered with gifts during Christmas). The first night (there are 8 nights) each of the kids get their main gift (usually a soccer jersey). For the next four nights, each of us get a night to plan what we eat (and do); that’s when individually we give our gifts to everyone else—usually the kids make something for each of us. Then for the last three nights we do something meaningful for others (this year we’re giving clothes, toys, books, etc to victims of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire), something meaningful for the Earth, and some activity our whole family can do together.
Share your ideas for how you are rethinking holiday traditions to be more sustainable as a comment, or on social media!
Bonus Giveaway!
Want a free copy of Shannon’s book Growing Sustainable Together? Here’s how to enter the contest next week! The giveaway window begins Tuesday November 24 and ends on Tuesday December 1. Here’s how to enter!
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Tag a friend (or as many as you want) on my Instagram post for the giveaway starting on Tuesday November 24. Shannon and I are kicking the giveaway off with a live IG chat on Tuesday November 24 at 7pmPST to discuss gratitude and the holidays. I’ll give you a nudge next week before the giveaway ends.