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You do your part. You buy green products, recycle religiously, conserve water, save for a hybrid car. You hope your kids will notice and become stewards of the Earth as well. This year, you can make Earth Day a life-changing experience for you and your children!

Let's face it: our children are going to inherit a less-than-perfect world. Climate change, overpopulation, pollution, water and energy shortages, and loss of biodiversity are just some of the major problems awaiting the next generation. In order to prepare today’s youth to tackle these issues, we must educate, motivate and, of course, demonstrate. Here are some ideas how.

On April 22, 2011, millions of people across the world will take part in the 41st annual Earth Day celebration. Intended to inspire awareness and appreciation, Earth Day activities assume many shapes and forms such as parades; celebrations at zoos, aquariums and children’s museums; go-green expos and fairs; and Earth-walk fundraisers. However, activities dedicated to fostering budding environmentalists are perhaps the most important. Some examples are working to restore local habitats; picking up litter; learning to compost; recycling old cell phones, inkjet cartridges, batteries, plastic and electronic equipment; carbon footprint-reduction contests; and wetlands cleanups.

Celebrating Earth Day, dedicated to the importance of caring for the Earth, is a great way to focus our children’s attention on environmental issues. But to keep that consciousness going and growing, lessons learned on Earth Day should be used as a springboard for daily Earth-cherishing practices. Here are ten ways that kids can help protect Mother Earth—every day:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Talk with your children about reducing their consumption and why it is important to the planet. Discuss the hazards of landfills. Take the time to review with them what can and cannot be reused or recycled. To learn more, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection website.
• Save electricity – Teach your children to turn off the TV and lights when leaving a room.  Have them assist with the installation of energy-saving CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs. You can find more tips on conserving electricity at PowerScorecard.com
• Conserve water – Encourage your children to take showers instead of baths, and to turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth. Americanwater.com offers 47 other ways to save water.
• Enjoy nature – Take your children to the local park more regularly… and bike there!  Or consider organizing a family camping trip. The National Park Service "Find a Park" Web page makes it easy to find a national park near you
• Use reusable bags – More than 500 billion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. Switch to reusable bags and you and your child will save an estimated 40,000 plastic bags over the course of your lifetimes. At Amazon.com, you can buy each child his or her own cloth bag so they never have to use paper or plastic again.
• Consume wisely – Reduce the amount of new clothing purchased each year and shop for clothes at a thrift store whenever possible. And, when purchasing new products, avoid those with excess packaging. The Thrift Shopper offers a national thrift-shop directory, making it easy to find a shop near you.
• Participate in a clean-up effort – Hook up with a local environmental organization and, together with your child, volunteer for a river, ocean or land clean-up effort. Discover a project that needs your help at the Environmental Volunteers website.
• Watch your diet – Buy local and organic foods, and minimize meat consumption, which uses tremendous amounts of water and heavily pollutes. Find local and organic food markets by zip code courtesy of Local Harvest.
• Plant a tree – They consume carbon dioxide, release oxygen and allow us all to breathe a little more deeply.  The Arbor Day Foundation is the perfect place to buy a tree because the money they earn goes to promote tree education and conservation.
• Celebrate Earth Day! - Attend a local Earth Day event or volunteer to help run one. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a list of Earth Day activities in every part of the country. And Earth Day Network provides information on events throughout the world.

Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, said:

The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.

By involving your child in an Earth Day celebration, and subsequent environmental activities, you’ll be heightening the next generation’s eco consciousness and helping to preserve the Earth for posterity. You may not hear thanks from generations to come or even from your own children, but you may see something even more special in their eyes and beyond mere words—an excitement at being introduced to the endless wonders of nature, a newfound appreciation for the planet that sustains us, and the determination to play a role in protecting our natural world.

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