The article in the url below offers some hope for the future. It explains how children are beginning to hold their parents accountable for their behavior regarding sustainability issues (Issues: Environmental Sustainability, p171):
“Ms. Ross's children are part of what experts say is a growing army of ''eco-kids'' -- steeped in environmentalism at school, in houses of worship, through scouting and even via popular culture -- who try to hold their parents accountable at home. … They pore over garbage bins in search of errant recyclables. They lobby for solar panels. And, in a generational about-face, they turn off the lights after their parents leave empty rooms.”
One of the people interviewed for the article claims that an important driver of this behavior is children’s unfiltered view of the world:
“One of the fascinating things about children is that they don't separate what you are doing from what you should be doing.”
Given that the children featured in the article are more sensitive to issues surrounding the environment than their parents, where are they learning about this? The article claims that one important source of information is the classroom:
“[My son will] come over and turn [the light] off and say, 'Every day is Earth Day,' '' Ms. Schmidt said. ''He learned it at school.”
Other sources cited in the article include the movies (e.g., Wall-E) and Girl Scouts. As 12 year old Elly puts it:
“I wouldn't be happy if [my parents] bought an S.U.V. because they're not fuel efficient, and they pollute more than other cars.”
Take care
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud And Sometimes Crazy
By LISA W. FODERARO
1469 words
10 October 2008
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
27
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/nyregion/10green.html
