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Every child is mesmerized by narratives and stories that have as a central figure a hero that manages somehow to solve a problem by coming up with a unique solution. The hero usually goes out of his way through various struggles and trials to prove his courage and bravery that would eventually bring the desired victory in the face of uncommon obstacles and challenges. What makes a great hero is its capacity to adapt to various changes and to come up with creative solutions to the problems that occur.
Humanity today is facing one of the greatest crises of our times that is directly related to environmental changes and damage due to irresponsible behavior and overuse of natural resources.
One of the industries that was seriously scrutinized for its negative impact on the environment and water usage is the fashion industry, which is considered a top contributor to carbon emissions, at the global level. The news report that 10% of carbon emissions at the global level are atributed to the fashion industry. In addition to this, one of the latest topics addressed by the European Parliament on climate changes and greenhouse gas emissions confirm the same percentage (European Parliament, 2024).
This is just one statistic that should be a wake-up call for all of us to become more intentional and informed with regards to the immediate actions we can take to protect our environment and ultimately prolong the life cycle of our resources.
Moreover, we should continuously educate ourselves and the generations to come to better understand what it truly means to save our planet, to become eco-friendly and to have a better grasp on the life-cycle of sustainability.
It’s probably the perfect time to teach our children that they are the heroes of our generation and they have the greatest opportunity to adopt sustainable practices that will translate into responsible behavior and wise choices when it comes to consumerism.
1. Adopt a vocabulary that shows care for the environment. Use words, phrases, and language that help children understand the definition and meaning of the environment and its components. Help them understand how things are inter-connected and let them practice their care for the environment by using positive language. This is a way to raise consciousness and to lead them to become curious about their surroundings and how environmental elements influence each other.
2. Initiate fun and exploratory activities to help children understand the processes that take place in the environment. These can include the understanding of natural and ecological processes. You can use DIY activities, green initiatives, let them participate in nature exploration and encourage their curiosity regarding the animal world.
3. Choose one activity for your entire family to raise awareness and be very practical showing how you care for the environment. It can be a recycling or upcycling activity, building a city from recycled items, or donating clothes in order to be reused through upcycling. Implementng this kind of initiatives at an early age will help children become more responsible not only with what they own and have but also with other resources around them.
4. Encourage children to use their creativity and come up with unique solutions on how to care for the environment. Help them understand that every action is brave and heroic, and in the long run, their actions will pay off. Guide them into learning activities that help them develop their leadership skills so that they can become decision makers with regards to the resources they are using. This can even refer to the type of clothing they are choosing to wear in order to help the environment become more sustainable. Teaching them to make wise choices when it comes to sustainable fashion in apparel industry will influence their perceptions and actions, helping them develop responsible behavior that reflects a positive influence on the environment and the world
around them.