Creating a Legacy?

I’ve been thinking about the results of a survey I read about recently on Telegraph.co.uk. The survey asked adults in Britain who influenced their current spending habits. Nearly 40 percent said their spending resembled their parents spending patterns.

My read of this article followed a trip to the grocery store with my youngest so I started considering our experience from another angle. While shopping, I had picked up a bag of popcorn kernels and handed them to my daughter to place in our cart. She’s three so gets a big kick out of putting food into the cart. My daughter had asked if the popcorn was organic before she would take it from me. Another shopper was surprised by her reaction and said so to us. My daughter thought that was funny so kept saying, “Mommy, that woman talked to me about organics!” as we continued to cross paths with her through the store.

(Whoever you are, thank you! You made a typical trip to the store an event for my daughter.)

The survey results got me wondering about how much it influences children to see their parents making sustainable or green purchases. Is this a legacy we can pass along? When kids see their parents asking for recycled paper or looking for reusable water bottles, what is that doing to their future spending habits? HOw long will it take for my daughter to internalize the need to ask if items are organic, rather than simply repeating what she hears her father and I say? Going further, what about the effect of other lifestyle changes? Are parents who ride bikes or turn down the heat influencing similar future decisions their children will make in adulthood?

I’ve felt a growing resentment for green issues in the media lately, from “look at all those suckers who bought a Prius, gas prices haven’t been this low in years!” to “we can’t afford green projects now!” Even Lake Superior State University’s 2009 List of Banished Words featured several green terms. It is always hard to tell if the media is an accurate reflection of people’s views but I have been concerned that folks are so stressed by the onslaught of awful economic news that they only have room to worry about a different kind of green.

The surveys results helped me feel more hopeful. While the shift is slower than many, including myself, would like, I truly believe it is happening. I see and read about lots of parents, all over the country, making significant changes. My plan is to continue to talk about these issues with my children, in public so all can hear. Who knows who it may influence?

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