Why I Don’t Worry About My Kid’s Carbon Footprint

My 17-month-old son, Calvin, left a trail of dirt on the kitchen floor. I smiled, my strategy was working. In today's climate-conscious world, there are countless methods to instill a sense of environmental anxiety in children. One might fill a baby’s bookshelf with books titled “Climate Change for Babies” or “Baby Loves Green Energy.” I choose a different approach. The two tiny cowboy boots near the front door represent the best form of environmental education I can offer. Raising my son is the biggest conservation effort I'll ever undertake, and it requires only my time. Every policy I've been involved with typically lasts a few election cycles. My son, however, will have a lifelong connection to Daniel Boone National Forest. That is where he first saw me build a campfire and learned to appreciate it before he could even speak its name. I frequently hire young conservationists, and I can tell within ten minutes which candidates had a meaningful childhood outdoors. These individuals possess a deep sense of responsibility toward the land and are motivated to act. Others simply feel guilty about living. As an employer, I do not seek individuals who merely feel bad. Climate guilt is inexpensive, ineffective, and often leads to burnout among young professionals, who switch causes within three years. I prefer hiring those who see the land as part of their heritage, something they must protect. For this reason, my organization has always invested in a broad grassroots network of individuals who cherish their local communities. Sustainable policies emerge from these people, not the reverse. While legislation originates in Congress, the conservationists who shape it are forged outdoors. Unfortunately, we are producing fewer of them each year. According to a 2021 CDC survey, nearly 40% of children aged 3 to 5 spend an hour or less outdoors on weekdays. Less than half engage in three or more hours of outdoor activity on weekends or Sundays. Screens are often the default solution. However, the larger issue lies in the increasing structure of modern childhood. As I noted in an article for the Institute for Family Studies, children are constantly monitored, planned for, and scheduled throughout their waking hours. Their upbringing lacks the risks and autonomy that characterized earlier generations. Parents understand that if helicopter parenting fails, legal consequences may follow. As The Atlantic has reported, an obsession with safety has diminished childhood independence and risk-taking without necessarily enhancing safety. This culture of fear and caution also influences how we teach children about nature. Current climate curricula emphasize disaster and alarm, leading children to feel guilty about nature long before they develop affection for it. I aim to raise my son to love nature as I did during my childhood. No formal instruction is needed. He will join a lineage of conservationists who grew up hunting, fishing, hiking, and caring for the land. Affection cannot be forced. Teaching a child to care for the land by imposing values results in compliance. Conviction, however, produces genuine commitment. The distinction between “you bear responsibility for this land” and “you are part of a plague on the land” is crucial, and I believe in sending my son into the world with the former mindset. Individuals driven by conviction actively contribute to land preservation. In 2023 alone, hunters and anglers contributed approximately $1.3 billion to state wildlife conservation efforts through Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson excise taxes. They were not pressured into this, yet their definition of a good weekend includes time in streams or forests, and they fund this through hunting and fishing permits. A simple day outdoors translates into financial support for conservation. This approach is straightforward. It is about forming habits, and habits begin at home. The statistics are improving. Participation in outdoor activities reached a record high last year, and youth participation is rising.