Sustainability has evolved from a specialist topic into a global urgency that needs to be understood from childhood. Teaching children and teens to care for the planet goes beyond education: it shapes a generation prepared to face climate, social, and economic challenges with awareness and solidarity. But how can we do this in an engaging way that fits their realities and interests?

Why Teach Sustainability Early

As defined by the UN, sustainability means meeting present needs without compromising future generations. When we teach this concept to children and teens, we help them develop responsibility, empathy for nature, and the awareness that their actions can—and should—make a difference.

Learning to care for water, soil, air, and living beings from an early age stimulates important socioemotional skills like cooperation, creativity, and a sense of justice.

The Challenge of Engaging Teens in Sustainability

Although concerned about the environment, teens often don't engage in sustainable practices. This stage of life is characterized by a search for autonomy, identity, and social recognition, frequently perceiving environmental actions as adult impositions or disconnected from reality.

Research shows that when young people view sustainability as an expression of autonomy, positive rebellion, or social justice, they tend to get more involved. Successful examples include youth-led movements like Fridays for Future—founded by Greta Thunberg in Sweden—which turned environmental activism into a symbol of agency and freedom.

How to Teach Sustainability in a Meaningful Way

1. Incorporate Sustainable Habits into Daily Life

   • Encourage the creation of school or home gardens.

   • Promote water and energy conservation.

   • Teach correct waste disposal and recycling practices.

   • Tie these activities into the school curriculum, especially in Science and Geography classes.

2. Use Commemorative Dates Strategically

   • Leverage occasions such as World Water Day, World Environment Day, or Brazilwood Day to run workshops, projects, or events. On these dates, children and teens can engage in hands-on activities that reinforce content in a playful, emotional way.

3. Employ Playful and Technological Tools

   • Board games, apps, and cartoons with environmental themes are valuable resources.

   • Adapt activities to each age group, stimulating creativity and cooperation.

   • Educational animations, films, and stories about the environment strengthen learning in a light and fun manner.

Sustainability as Identity, Not Just Content

For teenagers, understanding sustainability should be part of their identity development. In other words, sustainability must be presented as a choice that embodies autonomy, justice, and social change.

Campaigns, activities, and projects that position young people as protagonists and co-creators, instead of passive listeners, are more effective. Teens are more likely to engage when they see sustainable practices not just as adult rules but as symbols of belonging to meaningful causes.

Success Stories in Sustainable Education

Initiatives like the "Sustainability from the Start" app—developed by OMEP (World Organization for Early Childhood Education) in partnership with academics from Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, and Sweden—show inspiring results. Organized into thematic modules, the program encourages projects such as composting, art exhibitions using recyclable materials, and environmental challenges created by the children and involving families and communities.

Another positive example is schools that make sustainability part of everyday life, such as Ardscoil na Mara in Ireland. In this model, environmental education isn't an isolated subject but permeates the curriculum and school routines, becoming part of the local culture.

Embedding Sustainability into Culture

To ensure that children and teens truly internalize sustainability concepts and practices, it's essential to:

• Integrate sustainability across the curriculum.

• Encourage active student participation in decision-making and projects.

• Honor cultural and local diversity when choosing activities and content.

• Strengthen partnerships between schools, families, and the wider community.

Final Thoughts

Teaching sustainability to children and teens is an investment in the future. When actions are meaningful, participatory, and connected to young people's motivations, they become lifelong habits. More than preparing for tests, we are shaping conscious citizens who will lead the transformation of our world.

References

EDUCA MAIS BRASIL. How to Explain the Importance of Sustainability to Children. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.educamaisbrasil.com.br/educacao/dicas/como-explicar-a-importancia-da-sustentabilidade-para-as-criancas.

SCHOOL EDUCATION GATEWAY. Empowering Learners for a Sustainable Future: A Whole-School Approach. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/discover/expert-views/empowering-learners-sustainable-future-whole-school-approach.

SCHOOL EDUCATION GATEWAY. Focus on Learning for Sustainability. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/discover/news/focus-learning-sustainability.

THOMAES, Sander; GRAPSAS, Stathis; VAN DE WETERING, Judith; SPITZER, Jenna; POORTHUIS, Astrid. “Green Teens: Understanding and Promoting Adolescents’ Sustainable Engagement.” Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332223000866.

UNESCO. “Teaching Sustainability from the Youngest Age.” Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/teaching-sustainability-youngest-age.