Waste matter while raising a kid
Here we again meet to know sustainable parenting journey and plans by my friend Supriya. (Remember my meeting with Supriya in her baby naming ceremony in my last Wlog )
It happened that we both went to get vaccination of her baby one day in her car. She didn’t eat properly at home so had some fruits with her to eat in the car. As she offered me as well, I was thinking about where to keep fruit remains and I found a bin in the car. A bin specially dedicated to food waste occurred while eating inside the car. And also there was a small bag besides the bin which carried some paper waste, eg. toll receipt or chocolate wrapper. This is something I really appreciated. Supriya said, "I wants to cultivate right habits in my baby, no matter where she is at home or in car or somewhere else".
We see people litter from the car or similar vehicles. They find it so urgent not to keep waste paper or wrapper with them until they find the right place to put it. Knowingly or unknowingly we are causing litter going into air, water, and land, and hence causing pollution. But Supriya was not one of those people who would contribute to such alarming environment situation. She used bin and bags in the car to collect the waste and which she empties at home dustbins. There is no chance that her daughter is ever going to learn the littering habits.
Another obvious part of having kids is regular occasions of celebrations. We want to celebrate our joy and share it with others. So, it is common to have small parties for kids, attending others birthday celebrations, or gathering kids together as a part of traditional festivals. And these are the occasions of probable waste generation of different kinds. Supriya knows how she wants to handle this with Zero or minimal waste. In fact, she implemented it during the naming ceremony of her daughter. She used reusable cutlery, cloth napkins, flower decorations, and no plastic in the decoration. She had planned to donate extra food to an NGO who feeds them to needy one. And she gifted color filling books without shiny gift wrapping as a return gift for the kids who attended the ceremony. So only by doing small little things we can make a considerable and positive impact to our environment.
After the ceremony was over, she had no major waste generated except dry flowers which she took into composter. I was so happy listening to her about it. If every parent starts acting so responsibly, I am sure we will be not only be growing kids, but also the seeds of sustainability.
With such kind of celebrations, if you notice, your kid learns - composting, non-disposable cutlery options, plastic free decorations, plastic free gifting options, act of donation and extending helping hands to needy. There is such a bundle of knowledge and good habits they will get through such celebrations. This will definitely help them to grow as a responsible citizen and human.
This we saw was a few but important aspects of being sustainable parent with reduced environmental impact and refused waste generation. Further, going for organic food, home made food, fewer baby products, reusable milk bottles, clothes or toys sharing are ways in this journey which one can take.
Dear Parents, or would be parents, you can take charge of raising your kids sustainably.
Remember:
“We need to move beyond the idea of 'environment' and fall back in love with Mother Earth.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Although, a mother or a woman would know or would do more about cleanliness and hygiene, fathers too should join in this sustainable parenting journey. In fact that’s bonus as you teach your kids important aspect of gender equality and respect through your actions.
Our is a generation that can do a lot about our environment, and everyone should contribute towards it.
Have a interesting sustainable parenting journey to share ? Reach out to us at connect@inwaster.com