I really love my kids. Sure, they get on my nerves sometimes – they are typical #millennials…whatev. But regardless of their excessive lippy-ness, I have high hopes that they will live in peace and comfort all the days of their lives. Abundant natural resources are the foundation for my hopes for my kids, and that is why I continue to work toward the mission of the Go Green Initiative (GGI): to conserve natural resources for future generations. I’m an environmentalist because I am a child advocate.

In the last eleven years since I founded the GGI, I have come to believe two things: (1) the Earth can provide all the natural resources necessary to provide food, water, warmth and shelter to all its inhabitants; and (2) that #1 is only true if natural resources are conserved, preserved, and managed to be used over many, many generations.

Each year, Earth Day is a time when I reflect on the past year’s work. This year, I’m asking myself these simple questions:

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   1.  
      1. 1.       How have we addressed the quality of the air our kids breathe, both indoors and out?
      2. 2.       What pollutants have we worked to keep out of our kids’ water supply?
      3. 3.       Is there anything damaging the soil in which our kids food is grown which diminishes the nutritional value of the food we eat?
      4. 4.       Are we saving any fossil fuels for future generations, and if not, are we planning to replace the fossil fuels we use with enough alternative energy to leave our posterity the means to have a viable economy?
      5. 5.       Can we produce less (or no) waste?
      6. 
         

I know what you’re thinking…”Wow, I’ll bet she’s a ton of fun at parties – not!” Well, I can be. Really, I can give you references! Nonetheless, I do take my work pretty seriously, because I don’t think these issues will be adequately addressed without a healthy infusion of parental concern in the natural resource public policy process.

So how will I celebrate Earth Day in my own home today?

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   1. 1.       I’ll use a vinegar and water mixture to clean up the kitchen & bathroom counters tonight, so I don’t bring harsh chemicals into our indoor air climate.
   2. 2.       I’m taking some expired medicines to my local pharmacy, so they can dispose of them without introducing them to our water supply.
   3. 3.       It’s Monday, so I’ll make a #MeatlessMonday dish for dinner with some locally grown, organic veggies.
   4. 4.       I’m going to plan out all the errands that need to be run this week, and try to clump them all together, so I use as little gas as possible in the car this week.
   5. 5.       When I shop for groceries after work, I’m not going to buy anything that doesn’t come in recyclable packaging.
   6. 
      

These are not huge steps, and there is more I can do every day (and I try!) But these steps aren’t hard, and it’s something easy to replicate, even if you’re not a diehard greenie. Give it a whirl!

I celebrate Earth Day because I really love my kids. I love them enough to change the way I do things, and honestly, isn’t that what every parent has been doing since that first messy diaper? Every natural resource we save today is a resource they can use tomorrow. We can do more than just prepare our children for the future…we can prepare the future for our children. Happy Earth Day!