8 Tips for a More Sustainable Family
From a Philosopher (and Father).
“Human nature exists and operates in an environment… as a plant is in the sunlight and soil.” — John Dewey
I started teaching a college course on environmental philosophy in 2007.
Seven years later, I became a dad.
As much as I enjoy talking with undergraduates about moral obligations to the environment, sustainability, and deep ecology— it pales in comparison to watching my son build the habits of a conscientious Eco-citizen and a thoughtful member of our family.
I’ve discovered that those two roles actually reinforce one another…as each involves a special kind of care for others. After all, whatever sort of environment each one of us inhabits, it always begins in the ecosystem of family. These kinds of habits have to be enacted. To build, one has to do.
To borrow the words of my favorite 20th-century American philosopher, John Dewey:
“give the [kids] something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking, or the intentional noting of connections; learning…
