What kids learn from you: environment
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- August
- 28
We’re on vacation now, but I’ve been thinking about the values that we pass on to our kids. Values covers a lot of ground and what I’ve been thinking about lately is environmental values.Â
I hope my kids are learning from some of the things we do in our house. Starting at the end of last year we’ve replaced all of our standard incandescent lights with those mini-spiral fluorescent bulbs, all of them: the bulbs in lamps and ceiling fixtures, spot lights and outdoor floodlights. We picked the soft-white bulbs because the color and tone of the light is hard to distinguish from standard light bulbs – especially if you have shades or glass fixtures over them.Â
We also compost. We have a big old-style cookie jar where we toss all fruit and veggie scraps. With all the fresh fruit and vegetables during the summer we’re filling it almost every day. I’m the only one in my house, however, who empties the container into our compost bin.
Ever since we bought our first mini-van in 2000 I felt guilty about driving that gas guzzler every day to work. Still I needed a car big enough to haul the family, plus friends, relatives and luggage, tents, etc. Late last year we sold our old mini-van for a new mini-mini van. These are relatively new on the market in the US, although they are popular in Europe where gas prices have long been much higher. The new car gets about 26 mpg (combined driving), has six seats and a very small trunk, compare with 20 mpg, seven seats and reasonable storage. Using Consumer Reports guidance I was able to bargain down a 2007 Mazda 5 to $18,000 – about $3,000 to $,6000 less than other mini-vans.
The true test was a weekend trip with my parents and the four in my family, as well as our luggage. A roof rack and luggage container which cost a combined $700 provided the storage we needed. And with its stream-lined shape, the roof rack didn’t seem to hurt highway mileage much. And we use mass transit when we head into Manhattan.Â
I’m hoping that this stuff will become part of the kids’ values, if not now,  as they reach adulthood. All we can do is plant the seed, cultivate, and hope it grows.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 10:00 am by Len Maniace.
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