Dear Kiki: I’ve been spending a lot of time at my parents’ place. I noticed my parents’ lack of sustainability habits. They don’t compost or recycle correctly. They also like to bring home extra plastic bags and disposable cutlery for a rainy day. I’ve tried making suggestions but they don’t seem to get it. I get that habits are hard to change, but they really bother me because I try to be as environmentally-conscious as possible. How can I educate and convince them to be more sustainable?
-The environmentally-conscious son/daughter
Sustainability habits and environmental consciousness are the product of repetition. Your parents likely have followed the same routine for many years — which makes it that much harder to undo and reshape.
Some habits are so deeply ingrained that it takes time for anyone to change. Yes – even when they involve simple yet essential tasks like recycling and composting, regardless of age or generation.
While you might be passionate about your own methods and practices of sustainability and environmental consciousness, your role is to inform and empower them to make these lifestyle shifts on their own.
In order for anyone to make a drastic change to their daily routine, the intention must come from within.
Before you embark on a mission to guide them in the right direction environmentally, remember that there is no one way to be sustainable.
No one is perfect and everyone will have their own ways to carry out their values.
When you feel like you’ve reached a wall, don’t fret.
Here are some strategies you can try as you support your parents’ environmental journey to incorporate more sustainable practices into their lives.
Create the sustainability habits
Habits bring a sense of comfort.
It’s like ordering your go-to drink everyday. You know what you’re getting, you don’t need to waste any energy on micro-decisions.
Recycling and composting might seem like simple tasks, but there is a huge learning curving.
Leading a sustainable lifestyle involves problem-solving and critical thinking. This includes determining whether you can compost cardboard takeout containers or how to clean and dispose of different cosmetics in the most environmentally-conscious way.
Therefore, you can imagine that the changes you are requesting may cause some unfavorable disruptions to your parents’ usual routines.
Other than offering them suggestions and educating them about the importance of sustainable practices, assist them in making the transition as comfortable and smooth as possible, so they can effectively and quickly adopt these new sustainable practices .
For example, consider reorganizing their recycling area or creating a recycling cheat sheet, so they can easily sort discarded items.
You can also gift them reusable bags and utensils so they do not need to bring home extra single-use plastic products. My mom especially loves the reusable bubble tea straws and silicon ziploc bags.
It might be overwhelming as they take in all the new information and figure out how to adopt these practices.
Therefore, choose one area to tackle at a time. And don’t forget to give them the space and grace to do better.
Celebrate their sustainability habits and efforts
Other than recycling and reducing the usage of plastic products, there are so many ways to be more environmentally conscious.
Sustainability is not a new concept. In fact, your parents might already be implementing these concepts into their lives.
Just because they are not up-to-date with their composting knowledge, it doesn’t mean they don’t understand the value of cherishing and making the most out of what you have.
Many of our parents share similar attitudes when it comes to consumption and waste, especially when some of them grew up with limited resources. These generational and cultural values play a role in shaping their habits.
For example, many of our parents don’t like to waste food. They save leftovers and cook with all parts of the vegetable or meat.
Those who are familiar with public transit tend not to drive as much to save gas and money. They also tend to own less clothes and wear their clothes often instead of buying into the micro-trends of fast fashion.
If your parents are like mine, they will wash and reuse ziploc bags and reusable plastic containers for as long as possible.
Instead of feeling frustrated, be their best cheerleader. Recognize what they are already doing and praise their efforts.
After all, we also have lots of room to grow too.
Sustainability requires collective action
There is more to being sustainable than just recycling or composting and minimizing use of plastics.
In order to preserve resources and halt the harm on the environment, we need to take urgent, collective action.
Take this opportunity to bond with our parents and to learn from their wisdom. Opening up the conversation will not only generate more creative solutions, but also inspire hope in the face of the climate crisis.
We can all do more and do better when it comes to preserving the planet’s precious resources and slowing down consumption.
Being sustainable is a journey of constant learning and improvement.
When we work together and support one another, that’s when we can make real progress.
