Three Wise... Boys?

Environmental Tips from the Ones Who Matter the Most

Tim, author, pictured with the three wise boys: Sam, Jonas, and Nolan

It was all I could do to not start this off with a quote from Whitney Houston. I'm pretty sure she recorded a hit song that could serve as a soundtrack for this article. Like any parent, I want to leave the world a better place for my child. But I also know that at some point, Generation Z is going to pick up the mantle and spearhead the charge to combat climate change, protect our environment, and save the planet.  

As John James Audobon sagely noted, 

"a true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children." 

With that in mind, I spoke with my 11-year old son, Jonas, and two of his close friends, Nolan and Sam, about what they can do to help educate other kids—as well as their parents—about issues impacting the world around us all. To steal from Sam, 

“becoming aware of our consumption is the first step in making a positive difference with our pollution problem.” 

So, how can we consume less, make better use of what we do have, and respect this pale blue dot?

How to Save Limited Natural Resources: As Told By Nolan

Nolan Mathy is an 11-year old student at Dana Middle School in San Diego, where is favorite class is Video Production. When he’s not playing baseball or football, you can find him fly fishing at the closest lake or stream. Look for him in an MLB outfield near you...unless he becomes an astronaut and makes it to Mars.

Highly analytical, Nolan approached his research with a sense of logic that most adults would envy. I tasked him with explaining how we can save some of the limited natural resources we use every day, like water and gas. Here are some of his suggestions. 

Drive Less. 

Who would have thought on Friday the 13th of March, I would have been making the biggest contribution to the environment that I've ever made in my life when the COVID-19 shutdown started. I was forced to start homeschool, and now I'm saving the environment?! It's not just with kids and schools. Parents are working from home. Just think about how many families are doing the same thing. That is a lot of not driving! Lots of restaurants and other businesses are closed, so there are fewer places to drive to. That is a good thing. Not only are we staying safe from the Coronavirus, but we are also keeping all of those cars off of the roads. Hopefully, when things do start to return to normal, we can still do more from home than we did before so we can keep those gas-guzzlers off the roads.  

Go electric. 

If you do have to drive, try to do so in an electric or hybrid car. My family has one, and I love it. More carmakers are beginning to sell more electric and fuel-efficient vehicles. They are not cheap, but they are starting to become more affordable. I know not everyone can do this. But, if you can, you should. You can't get everyone to drive an electric car or ride an electric bike, but you can encourage people to do it more.

Save that shower water. 

Instead of letting the water run down the drain while waiting for your shower or bath to heat up, put a bucket under the spigot to capture it. You can then use that magic liquid to water your plants or for in a pail to mop with. Every drop counts!

The Truth About How to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: As Told By Sam

Sam Lehr is a future NBA guard. Right now, though, he’s 10 years old and taking classes at home where he loves Math and all things statistics. When it’s time to relax, Sam’s go-to faves are a good video game or a great book. After Sam retires from the League, he’ll be able to live in his dream home...the one he’ll build with his own hands!

Always one to tell it like it is, Sam's assignment was to become a subject matter expert on the holy environmental trinity of reduce, reuse, recycle. Together we can use these three ideas to help the world become a greener and cleaner place for all of us.   

Reduce. 

We can help stop litter from piling up around the world by reducing all of the plastic we use. Plastic is probably the main factor for why there is so much litter on the Earth. Plastic is so bad because it is in almost everything: your bag of chips, your soda bottle, your straw, and many more. We can reduce by only using what we need.    

Reuse. 

Another way we can control pollution is by reusing some things that we purchase. When we reuse things, we don't have to buy the same thing multiple times. For example, you could reuse your food jars and bottles, which stops them from being dumped into waste piles. You can also reuse your shopping bags so that they do not end up contributing to the mountains of trash.     

Recycle. 

Recycling the things you use is another way to help control pollution. Many products can be recycled, such as cardboard, plastic containers, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and almost all forms of paper. At home, you can help contribute by placing recyclable items into the recycling bin. These items are collected so that people and machines can manufacture them into new items. Recycling can help us by making sure that discarded items can find a new purpose repeatedly, thus reducing trash in the wastelands. 

Respecting Mother Earth: As Told by Jonas

At age 11, Jonas Brown knows that the English class he is enjoying so much right now at Dana Middle School is setting him up very nicely to meet his career goal of being a sportswriter. His love of all things baseball—playing it, collecting cards, and analyzing stats—can only be interrupted by a day at the beach with his friends. Don’t be surprised if Jonas is the play-by-play commentator calling the final out of the World Series one day.

Jonas is a Buddhist. As such, he has developed a compassion for nature that I wish I had at his age...the number of bugs whose lives would have been spared is staggering! At a family retreat, the Monks even dubbed him Forest Guardian as a nod to his kind heart. Not surprisingly, Jonas went straight to his core beliefs for his environmental tips on respecting Mother Earth.  

Plant a tree. 

Planting trees is a huge thing that can save Mother Nature. Trees suck in all of the carbon dioxide and produce oxygen so that the air is clean. They are basically the maids of the air. My mom and I planted a Bird of Paradise Tree in our backyard from seeds that we brought with us from our old house when we moved. We had to shave the fuzz of the seeds, plant it, water it, and wait six months for it to sprout. We were very happy. That tree today is the tallest in our backyard at 8 feet and is an Air Cleaning Champ.

Get out! 

Go outside more. It makes you more mindful of Mother Nature and more mindful about pollution. Take a walk around your neighborhood. One thing I do when I walk with my family is to try to pick up 3 pieces of trash on every walk. It's not hard to do. Plus, we are lucky to live by the ocean. Every time we go to the beach, my mom walks up & down the shore picking up bits of litter. Anyone can do that. 

Meatless Mondays. 

I've been a vegetarian for almost seven years. I know that most people eat meat, and I probably won't get you to give it up completely. But, if every family gives up meat for one day a week, we could make a real impact. Cows produce a lot of methane gas, which is bad for the environment. It makes global warming worse. You don't have to be completely vegan, although that would be awesome. Instead, have spaghetti, big salads, bean burritos, or veggie burgers one or two days a week. 

The Three Wise Boys

Nolan

Sam

Jonas

The reality is, Whitney was right; the children really are our future. That said, though, thanks to kids like this, I know that my future is in good hands with these three young stewards of our environment.  

Let's let Sam's words ring in our ears a little bit as we march onward with our crusade.

"There is no time like the present to start incorporating any or all of these practices into your everyday life to make a positive impact on the world. What can you do to help take better care of our planet today?"