Deconstructing ‘Green’

Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/deconstructing-green/5018720/

As care providers of young children, the early childhood profession is poised to be on the forefront of the green revolution. Sustainability, by definition, is the art and science of leaving for future generations, opportunities equal or better than those left us. There is no better place to employ this philosophy of sustainability than in child care. Child care deals in future generations, the benefactors of our consciousness. While addressing children’s immediate care needs, we must always be cognizant of the world they will live in as adults. For years, I argued with my neighbor about how much water he wasted watering the sidewalk in front of his house. Then on August 2nd, 1991 at 5 pm I changed. Our newborn came into our house. Visitors were tracking sap in from the sidewalk. I saw germs the size of dinosaurs being tracked into the house. Within minutes, I was out there with buckets of soapy water, a scrub brush in my hand and bent over on my hands and knees scrubbing. And then a hose, rinsing it all down. You can see how fast we lose sight of the world beyond our own children. Thinking about children before we hold ...