«Environmental protection should become a family project»

Mrs Scheuthle, what have you personally done today to protect our environment?

Good question. When I missed the bus this morning, I walked to work at the Federal Office for the Environment. I had a vegetarian lunch and cooked with vegan and organic products in the evening. Afterwards, I repotted all my houseplants with peat-free potting compost. However, I think the relevant things take place over a longer period of time, because environmental protection is about the things we do or don't do in the long term.

What is the state of our environment in this country?

In Switzerland, the quality of air and water has even improved in recent years. Globally, however, environmental degradation is continuing unabated, with climate change, the extinction of animal and plant species and the loss of fertile soil causing major problems.

Should we in Switzerland feel responsible for global environmental destruction?

Yes, because we bear a direct share of the responsibility. We cause three quarters of all environmental problems abroad through what we consume, use and dispose of in Switzerland. People in other regions suffer greatly for our prosperity. Climate change is already costing lives there.

What would be the first step towards living more sustainably?

In order to take action, I need to know what I can personally do to improve the situation. This strengthens my sense of responsibility. If I inform myself about factory farming, it will be almost impossible for me to eat conventionally produced meat afterwards - at least for a while.

We all know the images of environmental destruction. Yet we continue to live as before.

It is important to search for specific information. If I happen to read an article, there's a good chance that I'll suppress it or look for justifications as to why it's still okay to eat meat from factory farming. However, if the research is preceded by the decision: «I want to change something», I am already prepared to change my behaviour - and the facts can reinforce my decision.

Do parents make this decision particularly often?

I am not aware of any studies in Switzerland that specifically analyse the environmental awareness of parents. However, it can be assumed that for many people, the birth of a child makes the question of what kind of planet we are leaving to future generations even more urgent.

Isn't it difficult to behave in an environmentally friendly way as a family?

Parents are challenged in everyday life. But there are always opportunities to establish new habits when your own life situation changes. This is the case when a child is born, starts nursery or moves on to school. Nothing works the same as before and we have to reorganise our daily routines. This is where parents should start and look: From an environmental perspective, what can we do better or at least avoid so that things don't get worse?

It is important to us to protect the environment, as many studies show.

So living in an environmentally friendly way means conscious planning?

We need to think through the first steps in peace and quiet. We should take this time one evening or weekend and think about it: How do we do this? Creativity is needed here to find ways that suit us specifically. Planning can reinforce my perception: «I am an environmentally conscious person and want to live like one.» As we are reluctant to give up a positive self-concept, this often triggers a process that encourages us to maintain our behaviour.

We often find it difficult to act in an environmentally friendly way, even if we are determined to do so.

It is important to us to protect the environment, as many studies show - but we also have competing needs. When they are in play, environmental awareness has to be very strong to override them. Some people, for example, have a strong desire to go to the beach in winter or to get to know other cultures. This is almost impossible to do without flying.

So what to do?

From a psychological point of view, we should start with points that are easier for us. This varies from person to person and everyone has to think for themselves: What are areas where I would have to do without as little as possible? Eating more plant-based food or wasting less food can be good places to start. What is tricky from an ecological point of view, however, is that the areas that have the greatest impact on the environment are precisely those that are the most difficult for us to change consistently. These are the areas of mobility, nutrition and housing, the latter particularly in relation to heating and electricity. We should therefore not get stuck with the simple issues and continue to fly because we recycle.

The cost of changing our behaviour is often too high.

If we want to install environmentally friendly heating or solar panels, this is expensive and time-consuming and often not feasible for tenants. Or we don't see any alternatives. Many people don't even know how they could organise their meals without meat. Particularly when it comes to issues where individual behaviour has a major influence, it is worth looking into what is important to you and what you really need. Nobody will come to the conclusion: «I need everything - my house, the car, the tumble dryer, meat and travelling by plane!»

Really? Nobody likes to do without.

Sometimes you can also gain by doing without. If we choose to travel by train and ferry instead of flying to Mallorca, it looks long and exhausting at first glance. But if we allow ourselves to be mindful on this journey, we can also discover positive things: We avoid the queues at the airport, enjoy the scenery from the train, relax and the children can run around.

The areas where we find it most difficult to make changes have the greatest impact on the environment: Housing, mobility, nutrition.

This may be the case on holiday, but in everyday life with children, things usually have to be done quickly and efficiently.

That's why we need to look closely at what our biggest obstacles are and how we deal with them. If time is short in the morning but we don't want to drive the child to nursery in the car, we may have to prepare the clothes, breakfast and snack box the evening before. But we may also discover that cycling in the fresh air or walking together is so enriching that we are happy to get up a little earlier. But if you realise: «We can't do it at all, it brings too many complications into our busy lives», you shouldn't overburden yourself. It's okay to admit that you can't be consistently environmentally friendly at this stage of your life and in this area. Perhaps there are interim solutions with feasible effort, such as carpooling.

What can we do to better embed environmentally friendly behaviour in our everyday lives?

One of the most effective measures is self-commitment: as a family, we set ourselves measurable goals. With a written certificate, we commit to using less electricity next month, throwing away less food or only driving once a week. People take a formal commitment very seriously. If you publicise this as a family and others can see whether you are fulfilling it, it becomes even more effective. Once we have realised the first goal well, we can move on to the next.

How does that work in practice?

For example, we could observe how much residual waste our family produces each week. We then research what options there are for avoiding waste and choose which of these we want to implement. Shopping with little packaging, using up leftover food, composting and recycling would be possibilities. Finally, we can decide that we only want to generate one 35-litre bag per week instead of two, for example, and measure this.

And if we are not sure whether we can really act so consistently in everyday life?

We can then try out a new behaviour for a certain period of time. For example, if we decide to only use the car for the weekly shop next month, we realise what exactly we find difficult about it psychologically, socially or financially. Perhaps we will uncover our own prejudices against environmentally friendly behaviour and realise that our child can already take the bus to training: The child can already take the bus to training or I can even get to work faster by bike. In this way, we can find ways and means of practising the new behaviour - and often, by the end of the trial period, it has become a habit.
become a habit.

Are there any other tricks for achieving your environmental goals?

We should think about it: How can I organise my life so comfortably that I don't have to think about it all the time? If we want to take cloth bags, we put them in the car, in the bike basket and rucksack. There's a note on the door saying «Take your bag with you!». Social support such as socialising with like-minded people is also very helpful. In order to maintain new habits, we should consciously link our behaviour with positive experiences and look at the benefits: What do we get out of it? For example: «We like the taste of organic food», «It's fun to shop at the farm» or «We don't have to stress about finding a parking space when we cycle».

And what if the budget for the organic market isn't enough?

If we have a limited budget at our disposal, we should inform ourselves in advance and decide in which areas sustainability is most important to us. We can save money by buying less meat and ready-prepared food. That way, we have more money available for organic fruit and vegetables.

How do we inspire children to live sustainably?

The most important thing is what we exemplify. Children adopt priorities and lifestyles from their parents, and here action is more important than talk. It's great when environmental protection becomes a family project. To do this, we sit down with the children and ask: What do we want to do, what can we do? We can then allocate tasks: For example, you are responsible for avoiding food waste and look for ways in which we can implement this. Everyone is given an area of expertise in which they can train and inform others. Children like to set the course for the family and it promotes the dynamic as a family.

At what age do children start to understand environmental issues?

When they start asking us «why» questions at kindergarten age, this is a good time. We can explain in a positive way why we buy eggs from the farm or take cloth bags to the shops. Children respond strongly to emotional aspects and to everything that happens in their immediate environment. The fact that chickens are better off in the colourful meadow, that other hikers would be sad to find our rubbish, is more tangible for them than an abstract problem like climate change.

And what do we do when our teenagers behave completely differently from the example we set for them?

If a teenager continues to go to McDonald's with his mates, even though we no longer do this as a family, he may be afraid of being excluded from the group or being seen as an eco-freak. On the one hand, he wants to please his parents, but on the other hand he also wants to fit in with his friends. This puts him in a state of tension that he cannot resolve. Parents can help here by communicating that you don't always have to behave one hundred per cent consistently and that there are things that are just as important. Instead of putting further pressure on the young person, the family should rather look for environmental goals together that are less visible to others.

«A written and public commitment is an effective measure.»

Can we prevent our children from developing fears when we talk about environmental problems?

Fears often arise when children see images of environmental destruction in the media that frighten them. We should address this with them immediately, talk about their feelings and consider what we can do: Perhaps sponsor endangered animals? When we address environmental issues ourselves, we should neither trivialise nor dramatise the issues - the world is not going to end tomorrow! But a major crisis is likely to emerge, and our children are already feeling the worry. Being open and getting involved makes everyone feel better.

Our attitude as parents is therefore crucial.

Exactly! Our self-efficacy is the decisive factor. We have to become active in order to get out of helplessness and fear. It is important to convey this to our children: We as a family are tackling this! No matter what others do, we are doing our bit and thus helping to improve the environmental situation.

Book tips for the environmentally conscious

For children and young people
Carola von Kessel: We protect our environment. Ravensburger non-fiction 2018, 16 pages, from 4 years, approx. 24.90 Fr., as an audio play approx. 12.90 Fr.

Nicole Intemann: Plastian, the little fish. Oekom Verlag 2016, 36 pages, from 5 years, approx. 21.90 Fr.

Jess French: So much rubbish! Dorling Kindersley non-fiction 2019, 72 pages, from 7 years, approx. 19.90 Fr.

Atlant Bieri: Globi and the energy. Globi Verlag 2016, 96 pages, from 8 years, approx. 29.80 Fr.

Martin Verg, Meike Rathgeber, Schirin Shahed: The big book for world saviours. Understanding the world - and changing it. Edel Kids Books 2020, 176 pages, from 10 years, approx. 32 Fr,

Sascha Mamczak and Martina Vogl: It's your planet: ideas against insanity.
Heyne paperback 2019, 224 pages, from 12 years, approx. 14.90 Fr.

For adults
Christoph Schulz: Sustainable Living for Beginners: Making a Difference Step by Step. MVG Verlag 2019, 304 pages, approx. 24.90 Fr.
Petra Pinzler and Günther Wessel: Four for the climate. Droemer Knaur Verlag 2018, 304 pages, approx. 12.90 Fr.

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Anders Wijkman and others: It's our turn. What we need to change if we want to stay. Gütersloher Verlagshaus 2019, 400 pages, approx. 25.90 Fr.

For teachers
Mathias Plüss: With a cool head against a hot world: 75 ideas for the climate.
Schweizerisches Jugendschriftenwerk 2020, 44 pages, 6 Fr., suitable for children aged 12 and over. Available at: www.sjw.ch > Search for: Climate

Anja Reumschüssel: Climate and environmental protection. Carlsen Klartext 2020, 240 pages, approx. 11.90 Fr. Teachers can download a free teaching model for grades 9 to 12 at: www.carlsen.de/lehrer > Unterrichtsmodelle

Important links on the topic

• Den eigenen ökologischen Fussabdruck berechnen: www.wwf.ch/de/nachhaltig-leben/footprintrechner
•  Elektrogeräte: www.topten.ch
• Energie und Heizen: www.energieschweiz.ch, www.wwf.ch/heizen, www.minergie.ch
• Autos: www.autoumweltliste.ch, www.co2tieferlegen.ch
• Reisen: www.esu-services.ch/de/projekte/tourism
• Gärten: www.birdlife.ch, www.giftzwerg.ch
• Essen: www.wwf.ch/de/unsere-ziele/fleisch-und-milchprodukte, www.gemuese.ch/saisonkalender
• Unverpackt: www.unverpackt.ch, www.minimalwaste.ch
• Reparieren: www.repair-cafe.ch, www.reparaturfuehrer.ch
• Kleidung: www.fashionrevolution.ch, www.babybox-schweiz.ch, www.kleihd.ch
• Teilen statt Besitzen: www.pumpipumpe.ch, www.sharely.ch

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