A Tough Sell?           

More and more we’re hearing on the news about the negative effects our energy intensive lifestyles are having on the environment. Whether it’s the melting glaciers, rising sea levels or scorching summers, the outlook doesn’t seem to be too good. Additionally, with unpredictable weather patterns here at home too, we’re not just seeing the impacts on the news any more, but feeling it in our daily lives too.

Scientists and environmentalists have been warning about this for decades, but have often focused on the problems or demanded change because we “have to”, which doesn’t make anyone want to change, no matter what the cause is.

Bringing The Fun Back In

Things are changing though, especially when it comes to talking to kids. Many schools and youth groups have learnt from the mistakes of the past and have developed fun ways to change behaviours. Here are a few ways in which going green can be made fun:

• Using games – everyone loves games, especially kids. When you want kids to engage in a green activity, such as recycling, why not make it into a game of who can sort it the fastest or who can collect the most plastic bottles? You can also use recycled goods to make arts and crafts, and there are a huge number of ‘how to’ guides available online for free to help you get started.

• Green adventures – getting close to nature is a great way for kids to learn about the environment and see why they should care. Why not take the kids on a bike ride to go to the forest and find a rope swing, like when you were a kid? You could also take a magnifying glass to find creepy crawlies and guess what they might be important for.

• Gardening – getting your hands dirty with the kids in the garden can be another great activity. It allows kids to see all the things that are needed for us to get healthy food, such as clean air, nutritious soil and fresh water. What’s more is that at the end of the process, you get to eat something you made as a family and can feel really proud of.

Greening The Adults Too

Though these activities might mainly be aimed at kids, they can also help to make you as an adult go green too. For one thing, the fun is infectious and once you start with one thing it will often lead to another thing that you would also like to try.

When your friends see the benefits, you’ll soon be swapping tips and ideas, and you never know what that chain of effects might lead to. There are also more serious “grown up” benefits to going green. For example, it is possible to sell your unwanted items to companies, such as Glasgow recycling, and make money whilst protecting the Earth at the same time. Once you get started with any of these ideas. You’ll be sure to see the numerous advantages going green can have for your life.

The author is a youth group leader, specialising in eco-friendly activities for children of all ages. She has also been working as a teacher in primary schools and has recently started to write about her experiences in blogs and is planning to write her first book in the future too.