When my son was about 6 weeks old, I took him on his first trip to a nature reserve, Kew Botanical Gardens. Although he was too young to know what was going on, I remember feeling thankful that such spaces exist for him. I was also thankful that the trees I saw are the reason he can breathe in clean air — a simple pleasure I often take for granted.
According to the World Health Organization, 93 percent of children in the world breathe air every day that is so heavily polluted, it puts their health at risk. In 2016 alone, an estimated 600,000 died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air.
So when I learned that Kelly Rowland, singer, songwriter, actress, mom of two, and all around icon, was also thoughtful about raising her kids to be sustainable and care about the planet, I knew I needed to learn more. (Not only because I know all of Destiny's Child's songs by heart!) In partnership with Black Forest, Rowland is working to increase awareness about the importance of restoring rainforests. As a nature-lover herself, she's supporting Black Forest's efforts to plant 10 million trees by 2030. Many parents are all putting in work to reduce the effects of pollution, Rowland included. Here's how she approaches going green with her family.
Some eco-friendly alternatives to plastic include wood, bamboo, glass, and stainless steel. For instance, you could swap out a plastic toy box for a bamboo one. Rowland shares that in her house, they've started using silicone instead of plastic . . . and are still figuring out ways to make things work, like many families. "We're still a household in progress," she said.
Your part could be making a commitment to recycling or walking your kids to school instead of driving. However, it's important not to behave as though environmental issues don't affect you, because they can affect future generations, Rowland explained.
"People are always like, 'Oh, it's earth, we're still here, it doesn't bother us,' but it does," she said. "And if we're actually stuck in that train of thought, it's really selfish because we're not thinking about our children or our children's children."
"He saw somebody littering like a month ago and was like, 'Mommy, you need to tell them to pick that trash up,'" she shared. Not only is Titan passionate about stopping littering, he's also thinking about how he's going to help save animals. According to the mother of two, one place he's starting is in her wardrobe. "He goes in my closet and asks, 'Mommy, is this real? Or is this fake?' I'm like, 'Oh God, I have to start everything over, eventually.' So my level of consciousness is raised just because of him."
That is to say, children watch everything their parents do — so they'll likely learn their environmental practices from you.
The more we all do now, the better off our world will be in the future. We're working to protect the best parts of the planet, including Rowland's favorite things: "Sunlight, air, and water. Those are elements I feel really affect me in a beautiful way. They make me smile. They give me life. They give me hope."