Let’s be honest: kids aren’t sustainable. No, not because there are allegedly already too many people on this planet, but only because they’re raised in a system that isn’t either.
From diapers to toys to daily car rides, the environmental impact of having children seems massive. In Western countries, especially, kids come with a footprint that looks like a carbon stomp. Waste, energy use, consumer goods, and enough plastic to recreate the Pacific Garbage Patch in your living room.
But here’s the catch: the real problem isn’t the kids—it’s the system they’re born into.
Parenting in a World of Stuff
Babies are messy, yes. But what’s messier is the surrounding economy: the endless cycle of buying, washing, tossing, replacing. Marketing tells us our children need mountains of gear, plastic unicorns that sing La Cucaracha, and wardrobes that rotate every three weeks.
Most of it is unnecessary. But the pressure to consume is strong—fueled by guilt, nostalgia, or sheer exhaustion. We’re not parenting; we’re project-managing little carbon footprints.
What Kids Really Need
Kids don’t care about your Instagrammable nursery. They need time, love, food, and maybe a stick. The environmental impact of children shrinks dramatically when we stop measuring it in stuff and start thinking in systems.
Second-hand clothes. Toys that last. Homes that aren’t shrines to Amazon. And yes, saying no to that SUV.
Sustainable Families Don’t Require a Car
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a car just because you have kids. Public transit works. Trains are thrilling when you’re four. And cities—walkable, livable, breathable cities—make family life easier and greener.
We need cities built for people, not vehicles. Schools around corners. Parks in reach. Doctors you can visit without turning your weekend into a logistics exercise.
The Kids Are Alright — The System Isn’t
Let’s stop blaming children for the climate crisis. The environmental impact of having children isn’t about the kids themselves, but the world we raise them in.
They aren’t drains—they’re potential. Future engineers, poets, activists, thinkers. We need a system that gives them more than just a shot at survival. One that offers a shot at joy, purpose, and a planet to grow old on.
Because a system that’s good for kids is good for everyone.
My name is Ian DeBay.
I am the founder of iandebay.com. I am a content creator, blogger, podcast, YouTuber. This is my blog where I talk about system change, sustainability and other fun stuff.
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