Species extinction, climate crisis, environmental pollution: we must take action now to ensure that the earth remains a place worth living in. In society, it is crucial that people are aware of the earth’s problems and act accordingly. A healthy awareness of the environment and nature can and should develop as early as childhood. Here I look back about what sparked my interest in the environment in my childhood and youth and what I think is important when interacting with children today.

There are people who never leave their garbage in the countryside when they go hiking or do other outdoor activities and pack it all up again. And then there are those who have no problem throwing their garbage on meadows or in the forest. But why is it that many people don’t care much about nature and the environment? Which group people belong to probably depends to a large extent on the role nature and the environment played in their childhood and what role models and negative examples they had. There are probably several reasons why I consider myself part of the first group, which I would like to look back on.

The beginnings

Not long after I learned to read and write, I wrote my first “book” called “Many Animals”. I drew five different animals and wrote something about them – I suppose it was facts that surprised or fascinated me the most. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what my source(s) were. 😉

What amazes me now – many years later – is that I found a fact about three of the five animals exciting, which mentions a problem caused by humans. I can no longer say why. Nevertheless, my “book” shows that I was already aware of the negative impact of humans on animals at a young age.

Environmental education at school

School had a big influence on my interest in the environment, as it was a recurring topic in various grades and subjects. Even in elementary school, we made a herbarium with leaves from native tree species and I gave a presentation about wild boars. We also often painted about nature in art lessons. In 8^th grade, I put together the collage “The fate of the earth is in the hands of man” from magazine pictures, which speaks for itself.

In social studies lessons, we did a political role play. I was the environment minister – because I wanted to be – and called for subsidies for the German Railways to make rail travel cheaper. In another project, I looked at coal subsidies in Germany and their impact on the phase-out of fossil fuels.

In another subject, we created a project folder on the topic of “Nature and Man”. In addition to a collage as the cover page and quotes on the subject of nature and other content, I wrote my own text on the subject of humans and nature. I wrote exclusively about the negative impact of humans on the earth.

I write that in the beginning, primitive peoples still lived in harmony with nature and only took what they needed. But as humans evolved, they began to kill animals for fun and lost respect for nature. They cut down forests, exterminate animal species and build vehicles, power stations and heating systems that pollute the air. As a solution, I write that people must stop destroying nature or at least pollute it less. To do this, they must switch to alternative energies, increase the efficiency of power plants, switch from truck to train transportation and develop cars that do not emit toxic gases (by which I probably meant electric cars 😛). Only then is it possible for nature to recover, but the future of nature is uncertain. Mind you, the text is from around 2004.

In hindsight, the text is quite one-sided and partly incorrect, but it shows how I was concerned about the injustice of animals, plants and the entire environment not being able to defend themselves against destruction by humans. Although the text is 20 years old, it is unfortunately still relevant today. The climate crisis has worsened and the state of nature and biodiversity is becoming increasingly dramatic. Far too little is still being done to protect nature and the environment, and economic or political interests prevail.

Of role models and negative examples

My family and personal experiences also had an influence on my environmental awareness. When I was very young, our neighbor washed her car outside the front door and simply dumped the water and cleaning agent into the ground. I remember my mother not being happy and explaining to her that you shouldn’t do that. We certainly didn’t leave any garbage behind when we were out in the countryside.

On the other hand, there were also moments when people from the family emphasized the importance of the economy and that nature conservation cannot be above everything. This certainly helped me to get a more balanced view of society and different interests. But it didn’t dampen my fascination for the environment and didn’t stop me from being committed to the environment and studying biogeosciences.

Today’s youth

It is good to see that many young people today are interested in environmental issues and are politically active. Nevertheless, there are still many young people who leave garbage behind when partying in nature and vote surprisingly conservatively in elections or referendums.

Of course, every child has different interests of their own and not every child needs to be particularly interested in nature and the environment. However, I think that the fundamental importance of the environment and nature should be taught to all children and young people. These topics already exist in the curricula and teaching content and methods are being improved and adapted.

Nevertheless, we all have a role model effect and I can only appeal to everyone who has children or is involved with children to be aware of this. Even with simple actions or words, it is possible to leave a positive impression.