"Mommy is the Lorax; you're a Swomee-Swan and I'm a Bar-ba-loot," my two-year-old daughter informed me while I was making dinner.  Clearly, she and my partner were reading The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' ecological fable about a destroyed forest.  With a career in environmental science, Gina is determined that Zoe will be ecologically minded by the time she is three.  Between frequent readings of Seuss' book and reminders of when she is wasting water, our little tot will earn her EPA badge in no time.

I grew up composting, recycling and gardening.  I never considered those acts to be ones of conservation — just extra chores that my parents made me do.  So now that I'm a parent and married to Ms. Green Jeans, I wonder how we can take advantage of our toddler's curiosity to instill a sense of environmental responsibility.

Judy Braus, director of education for the World Wildlife Fund, believes that parents should encourage their kids to explore nature.  "Research is showing that two things greatly influence conservation attitudes in adults; one is having positive experiences in the environment and the other is spending time with a mentor who can help someone appreciate the importance and beauty of the natural world." Clearly, it's not all about chores.  My job is to guide my child through the life-long process of appreciating the outdoors. 

My problem is that the whole environmental issue seems too daunting.  I have a hard time believing that any small thing that I accomplish is making an impact.

Still, Gabrielle McCarthy, a neonatal nurse practitioner advises me to "start small with little things you can do at home."  She and her partner, Ang Makgill, a product designer, are working to instill an appreciation of the environment in their two daughters, eight-year-old Isabella and Harriet, not yet a year old.  "New Zealand has quite a focus on being a clean, green country," Gabrielle said.  The nation is nuclear free and works hard at protecting its indigenous flora and fauna.  "These issues have always been important to me, so I guess that passes on to my children," she said.

Recycling and gardening are big projects for Gabrielle's family.  "Isabella knows to actively sort any rubbish, and we also have a compost bin."  Isabella has her own garden where she grows vegetables, fruit and herbs.  "This year she has grown strawberries and has delighted in Harriet being able to eat them, too," Gabrielle reports.

In addition, the family supports conservation groups.  Isabella contributes pocket money to Greenpeace and has her own subscription to the organization's magazine.  "She wants to help whales and dolphins and wants to work for them when she grows up," says Gabrielle.

Angie, a computer software programmer in North Carolina, and her partner, Linda, have also identified some very specific activities to foster environmental responsibility in their children. "We've changed our lifestyle quite a bit since we first got together," says Angie, a computer software programmer in North Carolina.  Projects they have undertaken include composting, gardening, protecting their well water, and buying organic when possible.

They also allow parts of their 23 acres to take care of themselves.  "If you leave things as they are," Angie says, "you don't have to do much."  They do not use chemicals on their land.  Instead, they fertilize with mulch from grass trimmings and compost.  Fruit trees attract insect-eating birds, and they have learned to live with a resident snake that keeps their mice population under control.

They're not able to do it all, though.  "We'd love to have a smaller vehicle with lower gas mileage," says Angie.  Unfortunately, their large family necessitates a minivan.  To compensate, Angie is building a new home for them, completely out of recycled tires.

Gabrielle and Angie have similar advice for me:  Don't make too many changes at once. Otherwise, the concept can become overwhelming and the projects difficult to manage.

Alan AtKisson also believes that small steps make a big difference.  The author of Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World (Chelsea Green, 1999, $16.95), AtKisson is an evangelist for environmental sustainability, a concept that is becoming more and more popular in governments, businesses and families.   The idea is simple:  as individuals and groups, we should leave no footprint.  Applications of this idea include the huge and tiny, from cultivating roof-top gardens to creating bat houses.

When asked how he practices sustainability in his home in Stockholm, AtKisson is the first to admit that he and his family are still not completely there.  "We're hardly eco-saints," he says.  "There's plenty that we do that is not at all sustainable, of course, like flying around on airplanes."  Because the alternatives are not sustainable either, he and his wife have chosen to use disposable diapers for their 10-month-old daughter.  "Not every choice is an easy choice," he admits.

"But we do as much as we can to reduce our impact," he says.  And that's the name of the game.   His advice for parents is similar to Angie's and Gabrielle's:  recycle, garden, and buy green.  "Reset your [family's shopping cart from] "automatic" to "green" and buy the green stuff:  dishwashing liquid, organic flour, ecological maple syrup." 

Judy Braus of the World Wildlife Fund makes the same point.  "Parents and kids are big consumers," she says.  "Parents can set a great example by buying environmentally friendly products."  She notes that these products are not always perfect, but they are better.  Examples include Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

So how do we as parents talk about environmentalism with our kids?  "I wouldn't take a ‘doom and gloom' approach," said Braus.  "Rather I would emphasize the amazing variety of life that exists and the incredible connections that make life possible. And I'd teach my kids that all citizens have a responsibility to protect the environment."

Angie noted that simply picking up litter has made an impact on her kids.  "One person doing that once a week makes a really big difference in how places look," she says.  (She did note a downside, however.  Sometimes her girls would rather pick up trash in a store parking lot than get in their car seats.)

What do Angie's kids get out of the deal?  "Hopefully a sense that we have to take care of things around us," she says, "that the world is not disposable."  She adds that the activities are fun for the kids, especially the composting and gardening.

Gabrielle gives their environmental projects credit for keeping their kids healthy.  "I also like that [Isabella] has more interests than electronic and plastic toys."  

I don't have any excuses now.  Even if all I can accomplish is composting, I can be assured that it makes a difference.  And if we can show Zoe the beauty and simplicity of nature at the same time, I think we might actually get somewhere.

Of course, this over-achiever has some additional plans.  This summer, we'll have a bat house.  Bats aren't necessarily beautiful, but if they can keep the mosquitoes out of my yard, I'll be happy.

A regular contributor to And Baby, Laura Laing is a freelance writer in Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she will be making compost this summer with the help of her partner and two-year-old daughter.

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