There’s one question that has been on my mind ever since our children were born: What are we actually leaving behind for them? Not just in terms of values and memories—but, more specifically, in terms of the environment, the forests, and a planet on which they themselves will one day raise their own children.
Environmental protection is no longer an abstract issue once you have children
As long as you don’t have children yourself, environmental protection often remains just one topic among many—very important, but usually quite distant. Having children changes that significantly. Suddenly, the question is no longer “What will happen to the Earth by 2100?” but rather: “What kind of world will my child live in at age 40, when they’re a parent themselves?”
Forests play a central role in this that is often underestimated. They are massive CO2 sinks, the foundation of life for millions of people, and a refuge for a vast portion of the world’s biodiversity. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest on Earth, is particularly threatened—by deforestation and conversion into land for industrial soybean cultivation.
Why I Carefully Consider Who I Support
That’s exactly why it’s important to me, as a consumer, to choose wisely whom I trust and spend my money on. There’s a difference between companies that simply buy a “green” image and those that actually make long-term investments.
Ringana, for example, had its entire carbon footprint calculated in 2019—including all products manufactured—and made its entire operation climate-neutral. What convinces me is the order they follow: first, avoid (sustainable packaging, their own reusable system, reduced plastic, water, and energy consumption); then, reduce; and only for what truly cannot be avoided do they offset—through investments in a forest conservation project in the Brazilian Amazon that helps local residents secure official land rights and thus protect the rainforest from deforestation.
To me, that’s a difference that matters: not offsetting just to keep doing things as before, but addressing the root cause first.
What We, as Parents, Specifically Want to Leave Behind
When I ask myself what we want to leave behind for our children, three things come to mind:
A livable environment. That sounds obvious, but in light of climate change, rainforest deforestation, and resource depletion, it’s far from a given.
A role model for mindful consumption. Children learn less from what we tell them than from what we model. When we pay closer attention to where we shop and whom we support, we’re instilling in them an attitude—not just rules.
The knowledge that taking action makes a difference. I want our children to grow up feeling that their own behavior matters—not with resignation, but with the conviction that change is possible if enough people get on board.
The Difference Between Powerlessness and Impact
I know that to some, this feels like a drop in the bucket. What can a single family really do to combat rainforest deforestation? The honest answer: not much on our own. But we’re not alone. Every purchasing decision is a small voice that, when combined with many others, adds up to a demand that companies respond to—for better or for worse.
When we, as parents, consciously choose whom we support through our consumption, we pass this impact on to our children. Not as a burden, but as an example that it’s worth taking a closer look.
How This Relates to Our Everyday Life as a Family
This idea actually runs through everything I write about here on the blog. When we spent years looking for a suitable sunscreen for our children, in the end it wasn’t just about skin compatibility, but also about what ingredients we’re actually releasing into the environment and the water when our children go swimming.
The same goes for our search for a toxin-free baby shampoo: What’s good for our children’s sensitive skin is usually also what puts less strain on the environment.
Even the small, everyday moments are part of this—like the banana wrapped in plastic on the supermarket shelf, which I’ve written about before. Images like these constantly remind me of just how much unnecessary resource consumption has crept into our daily lives without us even questioning it.
And that’s exactly why I take a close look at which companies I support. Ringana’s concept—where glass bottles are recycled instead of thrown away—is, for me, a concrete example of how major environmental issues like forest conservation and small everyday decisions like reusing packaging can come together to form a shared approach.
My Conclusion
For me, environmental protection is no longer just about saving the world on a grand scale, but rather a very personal matter: What do I want to show my children and leave behind for them? For me, the answer doesn’t start with grand gestures, but with the question of whom I trust in my everyday life—the products I buy and the companies behind them.
Yours, Thomas
About Me
Hi, I'm Tom, a father and independent RINGANA partner. On my blog, I share my experiences with health, making informed product choices, and sustainability. It's especially important to me that our children grow up healthy and that we leave them a future worth living.
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