FORGET your solo attempts at going green. Sometimes it takes a village (or better still, family) to get your conservation efforts going. Leading a sustainable lifestyle isn’t an insurmountable task as you might think. Small steps are all it takes to get you and your family into the mode of living greener. Here, Pulse features parents whose values and practices focus on respecting all living things, protecting the environment and conserving resources:
In recognition of Earth Day today — and every day — we give a nod to these families and all those who try their best to walk the talk and teach their children, at the same time to respect nature, wildlife, and to care for our precious natural resources upon which our existence depends.
Walk the talk
Jack Ng Yong Keat, 44, Salesman
Father to Zhang En (12) and Zhang Hui (9)
To impart serious and important values to children, parents have to not only talk about it but also live it. With that principle, a lot of things can be ingrained in the young. My wife Shannon and I find that our children are very receptive to the idea of green living when we can link it to the survival of the natural environment and animals.
My girls have such pure hearts that out of their own accord, they even chose to live on a vegetarian diet for close to four years already, firstly because they do not want to harm animals and, secondly, when they later understood that it takes a lot more resources to produce poultry and dairy animals for consumption than it does for vegetables.
It also helps that when they were toddlers, we used to bundle them along wherever we went for our nature activities and along the way, given the bond and explanation, they were able to see the point. We have the habit of fixing stuff when they are broken. The children will pass every broken thing to me for fixing as they understand that some broken items can be salvaged. In fact, I am beginning to see my eldest daughter sometimes gluing her toys back when they are broken.
At home, we separate our trash, plastics, glass, etc. Food waste goes into a plastic bag which will be turned to compost and the plastic bag would be washed and reused for storing food waste again. Minimising electricity usage is normal in our household — switching off lights not in use, opening the windows for ventilation or switching on the fan to avoid using the air conditioner (although my second girl is struggling with that bit but slowly winning the battle!).
We only turn on our washer for a full load and we also sleep early around 10pm. In our new home, we use LED bulbs and install electrical items like our fridge and air-conditioner with inverter technology, which has a lower power consumption.
Outside the home, we bring our bags for grocery shopping to reduce bag usage and if we can’t avoid it, we reuse the plastic bags or will return it to the shop after washing it. We also return glass bottles whenever possible. We bring our tiffin to take away food, and we also try to buy and eat local produce as far as we can, to reduce the carbon footprint, with the exception of apples as my eldest girl still loves them too much!
We are still discovering ways to help make the world more sustainable. Our latest resolve is to eliminate the use of straws in our drinks.
Spark that love for nature
Azhar Musyabri Abdul Mutallib, 34, Senior Assistant Director
Father to Ardini Humaira Musyabri Azhar Musyabri (6) and Ardina Huraiyah Musyabri Azhar Musyabri (3)
I’m an avid bird watcher and the best way to carry on with my nature activities is to include my family! I believe that one of the most effective methods in educating children is to expose them to nature. I’m all for bringing my two girls on nature trips and getting them to see wildlife and the forests, up close and personal.
For example, I’ve taken them to the Bird Park so that they can view birds from a close distance and share my enthusiasm with them on how amazing it is to see these beautiful creatures. At the same time, I never fail to explain to them that birds, as with all wildlife, should be free in the wild, as opposed to being confined in a cage. Although the birds in the park are well taken care of and fed, it is not where they truly belong.
I’ve also taken them on trips to nature parks such as our national park in Kuala Tahan to enable them to experience nature at its best. I’m really happy to see the looks of amazement on their faces, and their excitement bubbling over as they walk through the nature trails and experience all the flora and fauna within our forest.
They enjoyed the trip tremendously and particularly loved the boat ride along the river. My girls got to see a Rhinoceros hornbill in the wild from a close distance and they were so fascinated. It is really my hope that moments like these will spark off their lifelong love for nature. They keep asking me: “When are we going to Taman Negara again?”
I guess I’ll have to make another trip soon so I can continue with my bird watching as well!
Greener individuals
Jehan Bakar, 47, Lawyer
Mother to Hilman Jauhari (19) and Husna Juliani (15)
Teaching them verbally will hardly leave an imprint on their mind and life, but involving them directly in the act of living out a greener life has made some impact on them. They help me with composting (they know which kitchen waste goes into the compost heap, which garden clippings rot faster), planting our own small vegetable garden, and separating our home trash into recycling bins.
As I’m chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society Pahang Branch, I also involve them in almost all of my MNS Pahang activities, like mangrove planting, turtle conservation, beach clean-up, hiking and trekking expeditions. They were exposed to environmental volunteerism from a very early age.
I also feel that children always “tune out” their parents’ frequency. Thus, I expose them to other fellow environmentalists. People like Professor Maketab, Datuk Mukhlis Chua of Kebun Kota, Hafiz of Cherating fireflies and Pak Su, the turtle whisperer, are among those who have influenced my children to be “greener individuals” via their ideas and actions.
Awareness, love, action
VJ Veerasamy, 43, Corporate Communications Manager
Mother to Aadhavan (6) and Saaradha (3)
The best thing I have done for my little ones is to inculcate an awareness of nature in them. Getting them outdoors into a nature setting was one way. We go to nature reserves often, such as the Forest Institute Research Malaysia, for walks through an easy trail, and then a splash in a nearby river. We take them to beaches to look out for crabs and other smaller sea creatures, but we have taught them never to take these creatures out of their surroundings.
We firmly believe in the adage, “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints”. We take them on road trips often, never hand them any gadgets to entertain themselves but instead encourage them to look out of the window, appreciate the passing landscapes and point out interesting birds, rivers, trees and mangroves (my son is convinced every river has a crocodile in it!).
These simple lessons have made them appreciate the natural world and made it easier for us to explain why we practise certain things. For example, we refuse the use of straws in our drinks, explaining how straws and plastics, in genera,l affect wildlife.
We have taught them to bring tote bags to reduce the usage of plastic bags, we have educated them on how lights need to be switched off and taps turned off when not in use, as well as the repercussions when we fail to practise these simple things.
More often, we assume that children will not understand the importance of living a greener life but it’s amazing how they actually do comprehend and gain a greater empathy for all living things.
My 6-year-old gets upset when he sees open burning. He talks about how it pollutes the environment. He lectures us for accidentally leaving the lights on and ensures we bring our tote bags whenever we go shopping. One time, he wailed in public that the whales were going to die because we forgot our bags! Needless to say, we never repeated that mistake after that incident.
The best thing to do is to speak to your children frankly and they, in turn, will keep you in check. Awareness leads to love, love leads to care and care will definitely lead to action!”