A topic that keeps popping up in my mind! To look at it in a positive way, there has got to be more we can do for the future so I want to focus on ways we can help our children to have the best future for themselves and all life on Earth. You will all know and have heard all about the latest in Global Warming and how everyone, governments included are getting together to correct the damage that has occurred more so, in the very recent few years.

I feel, as Mothers and families of our children, we need to be focusing on teaching them the knowledge and respect for the Earth as they are the ones who will be continuing all our good work into the next few decades.

There is the way of ‘positive thinking’ and the ‘laws of attraction’ that will have a huge impact on saving the world as we know it. I’d like to focus on that positive energy rather than looking at all the negative stuff. As Mother Theresa said “I won’t go to Anti-war protests but I will go to Peace keeping events”.

So with regards to Global warming, we all know what’s going on and if you don’t then please have a look at some of the websites listed below.

I was personally very inspired by Al Gores new documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’. I highly recommend all to see this DVD, which comes out at the end of January. It explains clearly, the latest facts on Global warming, Carbon Dioxide emissions and concludes by giving us hope and shows us ways we can make a difference.  Al Gore’s website is www.climatecrisis.org

Some may think, just one extra car couldn’t make a difference, or just one person buying plastic bin liners but as we know every person counts and because we have ALL contributed to the way the Earth is now, we can ALL make a difference to put it right.

Let’s teach our Children everything we can for them to have a beautiful life, just as we have and can still do before it does get too late. Here are some ideas:

Make a Veggie Patch – Children love to help out in the garden, and yes I know it’s a bit too late in the summer now (In Australia) but I will focus on getting started in our winter newsletters. In the meantime, it you have a veggie garden, show the children what grows where and let them pull the carrots up, pick the red cherry tomatoes (please not the green ones yet, Sweetie) and grab bits of parsley for their salad wraps. They just love it. They can bring them into the house with their bucket and stand on the step next to the sink and wash them (and your kitchen floor) and then you can chop them up and they see what you are cooking and where it all comes from. It does take a while longer to get dinner ready but then they are involved. This will ‘sow the seeds’ for our children’s future literally, encouraging them to eat well and to appreciate good foods.

If you own a block of land, we could show children how to plant trees. A single tree will absorb one ton of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in its lifetime. If you are settled on a family property, plant fruit trees, native to your area. Your children will reap the benefits when they are our age and you’ll have organic foods to retire on.

If you don’t have a garden you can still grow herbs in pots, such as parsley, mint, Thyme, basil, mint, coriander, rocket lettuce and nasturtiums. My neighbours have a great veggie patch where they have grown all their veggies in hay bales and are using a mushroom compost. This method reduces weeding, retains more moisture and you can put the bales anywhere you choose to get the right amount of sun and shade.

Also children love to see and grow sprouting seeds, such as sunflowers, alfalfa and other sprouts.

Composting – This is very helpful to the environment and to teach our children to put nutrients back into the earth. This is a great start if you have not got into your garden yet. You can buy compost bins at the hardware or make them easily enough from bricks or timber. All vegetables, fruits, egg shells and tea bags can be composted.

Save water – What child does not love water and if they had it their way the house would be full of it. Teach children how precious water is and to not let water run freely when brushing teeth, put the plug in when washing hands, and make showers short yet still wash behind their ears. Make sure they have a wee before they get in the bath so they can share. We then use the bath water for the garden and for soaking the cloth nappies or to mop the floor etc. But remember never to leave water in the bath or buckets unattended if there are small children around.

Hot Water – With our ‘mod con’ washing machines these days it is so easy to put clothes on a hot wash but for those zillions of cotton nappies we get through, a cooler wash is ample together with the best anti-bacterial bleaching agent – The Sun. The sun is a great way to sterilize wooden chopping boards too. Only use hot water sparingly and when needed. If you have a gas system, each time the hot tap is turned on even for a second it uses up a considerable amount of gas, so whenever you can wash with cold water.

Recycle – We know it, but we need to teach our children. I pram walk to our only  local village shop and am astounded by the amount of rubbish in the way of sweet wrappers, ice block wrappers, plastic bottles just thrown in the edge of the grass, just from one little shop in the country side! We can explain to our children how products are recycled and what they then become. e.g., paper into more paper. They can bring their rubbish home with them and recycle it in an appropriate way. Let it be their job to put paper and plastics into the recycle bins.

Electricity – Children don’t realize, until they are told about wasting electricity.

Small changes, such as leaving lights on, are leaving DVD’s on play, and for bigger children not switching computers and televisions off at the wall. A TV on standby still uses a considerable (10%) amount of power. Only fill the kettle up as much as we will use. Did you know that an open jug of water or juice in fridge will make your fridge work overtime? A fridge keeps contents cool by removing excess moisture so make sure to keep lids on jugs and bottles of water. And why do children love to keep the fridge door open for an eternity as if they expect something ready made to jump out at them on a plate!

We can also change to the compact fluorescent light bulbs for all our lighting to save heaps more CO2. They last longer too.

Please visit www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au for heaps more info on saving electricity. They can help you choose your own green electricity supplier.

Exercise – Fitness and exercise is not only imperative for our children’s health but will set an example for the future. If they are encouraged now, they are much more likely to remain and continue to be healthy as they get older. This also helps us as exercise is great for the health of our body, mind and spirits. Children learn so much from being outside and we can teach them about wildlife, birds and trees as we are walking. They will want to walk and ride their bikes more and this saves fuel.

Stay Positive – At the end of the day one of the strongest and most conscientious ways to help save the Earth, is for us all collectively to be positive and loving towards the Earth and each other. To believe in the power of the mind and that WE CAN MANIFEST the future we want for the world, our families and ourselves. We can be truly happy and grateful and openly accept what we have and just keep focusing on what we do want, as opposed to what we don’t want. (If any of you have not already seen the documentary “The Secret”, then please do. It is out now in DVD stores or you can purchase it online.)

These are just a few ideas so I would love to hear more tips and views from all of you Angelmothers and fathers out there and I can put them in our next ‘Loving the Earth’ section of our Newsletter.

Please remember we must focus on the positive and by feeling love and respect and gratitude for our Mother Earth we can collectively heal her, just as she has provided all we need to heal ourselves.

© Amina Eastham-Hillier

Websites for further information on Environmental Caring:

www.climatecrisis.org Al Gore’s website on ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

www.acfonline.org.au Australian Conservation Foundation

www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au

For more Links Please see our ‘Links page’ on www.angelmothers.com

Amina