Photo by Anna Shvets

Whether it’s introducing them to books, teaching children to recycle, or taking them to facilities, it is extremely important that environmental awareness be introduced at a young age.

The three Rs of sustainability—reuse, reduce, and recycle—are three interdependent principles that are supposed to help people lessen their impact on the environment.

• Reusing is when we find new ways to use items that are already old or would have otherwise been thrown away.
• Reducing is when we try to use the least resources possible and produce fewer waste products.
• Recycling is when we turn old or waste materials into something new.

If we follow these principles, we should be able to better minimize the destructive impact and the amount of waste that we generate, conserve our natural resources for future generations, and establish a greener tomorrow for everyone.

The three Rs are very critical for maintaining our framework of environmental sustainability. Each of them teaches us how to better care for nature and become able stewards of Earth. With this in mind, it becomes much clearer why it’s extremely important to engage with children and teach them these concepts.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! 

Here are just a few reasons why children should be taught the three Rs at a young age:

• It conserves natural resources by helping to conserve the natural world. For example, recycling paper saves trees, aluminum saves bauxite ore, and plastic saves petroleum.
• It reduces pollution by diminishing the amount of waste we create on a daily basis, such as recycling paper to reduce the need to produce new paper, which creates a lot of waste due to processing a lot of chemicals and energy.
• It saves money by lowering the financial burdens on households and businesses through methods such as buying in bulk, reusing containers, and recycling materials, which can all reduce the amount of money spent on waste disposal.
• It teaches children essential life skills such as responsibility, problem-solving, and creativity. They also learn about the importance of taking care of the environment and being good stewards of the planet.

For a Greener Tomorrow

When children grow up knowing the three Rs, they are deliberately working towards a greener tomorrow. A conscious awareness of the environment and the ways that we affect them gives children:

• A sense of environmental responsibility. Children taught about the need for a greener tomorrow at a young age are more likely to acquire a sense of environmental responsibility as they grow older. They are more likely to be aware of their environmental impact and make choices that are good for the planet.
• A mind for sustainable consumerism. Children taught how to reduce, reuse, and recycle will likely become sustainable consumers as adults. They are more likely to make choices that minimize their environmental impact, such as buying products made from recycled materials, avoiding single-use plastics, and composting food scraps.
• Critical thinking skills. Environmental activism, whether out on the streets or inside the home, requires necessary thinking skills to better evaluate their choices and consider the environmental impact of their actions.
• Creative problem-solving skills. Being an environmentally-minded citizen of the world demands creative thinking to develop new ways to use things and reduce the amount of waste that individuals and communities produce.
• A sense of community. A foundation of being environmentally aware is all about working together to make a difference and knowing the importance of working together to protect the environment.

Teaching Children a Greener Tomorrow

1. Talk to your children about why we should protect the environment. Explain to them that we have to help protect the planet. Introduce them to books teaching children to recycle, reduce, and reuse. 
2. Be a good role model by reducing, reusing, and recycling at home and whenever possible. Children learn by emulating the adults in their lives. If you are committed to doing these things, your children are more likely to be.
3. Make environmental activism fun and interactive. There are many ways to do this, such as playing games, doing arts and crafts projects, and reading books about the environment.
4. Involve your children in activities around the house. For example, have them help you sort recyclables, compost food scraps, and bring reusable bags when shopping.
5. Take your children to visit local recycling and composting facilities. This will help them to see firsthand how reducing, reusing, and recycling work.