Like many other people around the world, my wife and I were dismayed and, frankly, terrified by the October U.N. report indicating that global warming will have profound and irreversible consequences for the planet by 2040.  Couple this with the headlines about unprecedented storms, water shortages, mass migration due to vanishing resources, and exponential die off of insects, and the future looks grim. Signs that humans are making the planet unlivable are everywhere.


For our family, these issues are not abstract.  Our son is four and our daughter is two. They will be 26 and 24 years-old in 2040, respectively.  Our kids, and all other children, are likely to inhabit a world where most of their intellectual and creative energy will be devoted to helping our species survive.  By the time they are old enough to understand this fact, they will not have the power to alter it.


Under these circumstances, my wife and I started asking ourselves: what does it mean to be effective parents in a world on the brink? After pondering for a while, we pledged to make three major lifestyle changes. On one hand, these changes do not mean forgoing many of the benefits that accompany living in the most prosperous country in the world. On the other, they mean altering our lives in fundamentally challenging ways to ensure climate change is on our minds and influencing our actions every day.


First, we committed to becoming more politically active around issues of climate change. For example, we joined groups like The Climate Reality Project and the Sunrise Movement. We are not political people by inclination, nor is it easy to find time amidst busy jobs and lives. But we are ready to fight for our kids anyway.


Second, we have altered our lifestyle to reduce our carbon footprint through actions like going vegetarian, flying infrequently, and taking public transit to work.  While our family’s habits are not the main contributor to global warming, they are nonetheless part of the problem.  It’s easy to assume we cannot make a meaningful difference given the scope of the problem.  But if one quarter of families in the U.S. made the same commitment as us, we would reduce our country’s emissions by over 10%. Specifically, we have committed to:


  • Limit personal air travel to one flight per year, and buy carbon offsets for that flight.
  • Take public transit or bike to work.  Whenever possible, work from home.
  • Trade in our car for an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
  • Eliminate meat from our diet and cut our dairy consumption in half.
  • Buy local, organic produce (and other food when possible).
  • Use our backyard as garden space to produce as much food as we can at home.
  • Wash our clothes on a cold water setting and dry them on a line.
  • Use air conditioning only when temperatures reach 85 degrees F (29 C) and heat only when temperatures dip below 60 degrees (15 C).
  • Cap showers at five minutes and eliminate any other unnecessary water use.
  • Sign up for the most green options offered by our energy companies, and replace inefficient appliances.
  • Estimate our remaining carbon footprint and buy offsets.  

Third, we have intensified our efforts to raise children who are politically and environmentally active. My son is five and he’s already testified at a hearing to stop the construction of a power plant that would generate large amounts of CO2. We would love for our kids never to think about such things, but they will, and they must.


Above all else, being effective parents means making climate change part of our everyday consciousness. Otherwise, it’s too easy to ignore the problem and go on with our lives, which is exactly how an issue that is so pressing can feel so distant. It’s exactly how we’re all quietly letting climate change destroy the future for our kids.


Most of us parents have said we’ll do anything for our children. That moment is here. It’s time for you to make your pledge.