Five Young Voices Brainstorming Solutions for the Future

by Meghan Breen

As a homeschooling mother of 5 kids, we have a lot of conversations going on at this homestead of ours. Sometimes all at once! Five curious young minds asking fantastic questions about all sorts of things. Sometimes we have answers. Sometimes we return the questions to them to seek out their own answers. And sometimes there so few clear answers. Particularly when it relates to climate change and how we can mitigate the ongoing damage to our planet. Most recently, we have been discussing the origin of plastics. These kids have been well acquainted with avoiding plastic and using their stainless steel water bottles and cloth bags and reusable snack bags, etc. basically since they could walk. Now as they are getting older we have been discussing more about where plastic comes from, what its production means for the planet, if it ever goes away and more importantly they want to know, what do we do about it?

So our conversation about climate change and plastics led us to take time on a sunny and beautiful March day and head over to the state Capitol building where a local environmental agency had arranged a rally to support a statewide ban on plastic bags. We had already attended a family lobby day and the kids were familiar with the legislation that was on the table. They knew a vote was coming up, and they all agreed that yes, we want to go to the rally. (“And maybe, mom, could we hit the skate park on the way home??” “Absolutely!” I said.) That morning the children all made signs and as they wrote and drew pictures, the comments I overheard from them were deeply inspiring. These kids know something is wrong. They are perplexed at why it has to be this way, but they are hopeful. They feel they have something to offer. And as I listened to them brainstorm ideas for ways to live without plastic, not just for our family, but globally, I felt tears well up. This is our hope - that our children are not immobilized by the crushing and devastating news and the very stark realities of what is to come because of climate change, but that they start to create new ways to live in relationship to the earth.

We will continue to have conversations about climate change, and I look forward to them. Because I know that in each and every one of these children, ideas and solutions abound. When we gather these minds together and join forces with others, young and old, who are also committed to taking assertive action to address these issues, it will be harder and harder to feel paralyzed by the data and the projections. Yes, hard times are coming, but these conversations are critical to having confident, talented, informed and creative thinkers ready to tackle what comes.

Meghan Breen has a Masters in Social Work and is an herbalist and owner of Slánú Herbals. She specializes in local herbs for wellness and life listening sessions with her clients. She is also a homesteader, environmental justice activist, and a full-time homeschooling mom to 5 kids. When she is not busy with all of this, she occasionally write her thoughts down on her blog: www.growingpeasandjustice.blogspot.com