We are being inundated with green issues such as global warming and new products that will help us be “greener,” but sometimes we forget another aspect of being green – social consciousness.
You have probably seen me write about the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. But what about remember, as in remember those less fortunate than us. Is there any better lesson to teach your children?
Social consciousness starts at home. What better way to teach our children to make the world a better place than to volunteer and take them along with us? Food banks always need a helping hand and it is an excellent opportunity to teach your children to give back while also appreciating all they have.
I’ve preached before about buying locally and that is another form of social consciousness. The food will taste better and who knows, you may even be able to take your children to the farm to see what goes on when growing fruits and vegetables. Who knows, you might even inspire them to be a future farmer or at least plant their own garden in the backyard.
Purchasing fair trade products is something else to consider. Fair trade is a movement that promotes social and environmental standards for such products as coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, honey, chocolate, cotton, and tea. While it may be hard to explain to the younger children, purchasing fair trade products shows that you care about all workers – all over the world. When we purchase something from the store, we may not consider the type of work conditions in which the product was made. Stop and think to yourself, “was the employee paid fairly for his or her time?” Unfair treatment of workers in other parts of the world will continue as long as we purchase the company’s products. Only through social consciousness can we attempt to make a difference.
And just because my blog mentions children doesn’t mean that only parents need pay attention. Social consciousnesses is for everyone, but if you have children, why not try to pass the understanding along?