What’s the difference between George Bush and Al Gore? Bush is raping and scraping mother earth and Gore is deeply committed to protecting her. But why are these two characters such worlds apart? How can we make sure that our kids turn out more like Gore and less like Bush?

I came across some interesting research that says people who become committed to looking after the planet share similar childhood experiences. These are:

1. They have witnessed a sense of unfulfillment in others who are economically “successful” (Often these people are the person’s parents or relatives).

2. They experienced an introspective childhood that involved significant early experiences with nature.

3. They had role models with some ecological or natural history interests (both in and outside the family).

4. They had an intense emotional experience involving the death of animals.

5. They had a magical play place in the outdoors and discovered a drastic alteration such as their favourite tree being cut down or pollution of a stream or beach.

6. They have romantic fantasies deriving from specific books, films, or television shows.

7. They engaged in outdoor activities such as backpacking, camping, bird watching and fishing in which they experienced intense emotions.

8. They have had dreams or daydreams of being a victim of nuclear catastrophe.

Perhaps we don’t want our kids to have nightmares of nuclear warfare, but more time spent out in nature, developing their imagination instead of being stuck in front of the TV could make all the difference.

This study also suggests that people like Al Gore aren’t just created over night, but through the right experiences and nurturing early on in life. I remember the movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ revealed some of Gore’s early childhood experiences out on the family farm.

If you’re thinking ‘I didn’t have any of those experiences as a child, is it too late for me?’ it’s never too late to develop the ecological part of yourself, and even better, if you can enjoy doing this with a young person in your life.

References
Sadava, S.W & McCreary, D.R (eds). (1997). Applied Social Psychology. United States: Prentice-Hall, Inc.