By Bridget Shirvell
In the fourth instalment of our new series, Advice and ideas on raising kids in the climate crisis, the author of Parenting in a Climate Crisis, Bridget Shirvell, explains why back to school also means resetting food and cooking routines and build greener and healthier food routines.
The new school year isn’t just about sharpened pencils. It’s also a chance to build greener, healthier routines around food.
September is my reset. I don’t know about you, but after a summer of spontaneity and more takeout than I’d like to admit, I’m craving routine again. The magic of summer is real—but so is the lack of structure.
By the time September rolls around, the school year begins, calendars fill, and suddenly our evenings need rhythm.
That’s when dinner often becomes the nightly scramble: what to cook, how to get it on the table fast, and who has the energy to do it after a long day. I’m trying to see this seasonal shift as more than a return to school and earlier bedtimes. To see it as an opportunity to bring my kid into the kitchen and use those everyday meals to build greener, healthier habits together.
It’s no secret that food production significantly contributes to climate change. One major analysis found the global food system was responsible for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2018—from farming to packaging, transportation, and deforestation. In the U.S., where I live, food makes up 10 to 30 percent of a household’s carbon footprint.
Cooking together as a connection (and climate action)
Sometimes—OK, most of the time for me—cooking at home is simply about putting food on the table. Yet it’s also a climate action. Each meal we cook ourselves reduces reliance on takeout and heavily packaged, processed foods, choices that carry a bigger carbon footprint. And cooking at home can be more than just a lower-impact option; it can be a way to teach kids small daily actions they can do themselves and share with others to spark change.
This doesn’t mean every meal has to be optimised. But when I do have time, cooking with my daughter is also a chance to talk about why food matters—where it comes from, who grows it, and why not everyone has equal access to healthy, affordable meals.
Children love to feel useful; even young kids can take on kitchen jobs such as washing produce, stirring, or setting the table. Older ones can learn knife skills, follow a recipe, or even take the lead on dinner once a week. Quick, kid-friendly meals don’t have to be complicated. Try keeping a short list of go-to weeknight dinners kids can help with:
- Sheet pan dinners: Toss chopped veggies, chickpeas, or chicken with olive oil and spices. Roast at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Stir-fries: Kids can wash and snap green beans while you sauté tofu or shrimp. Serve over rice or noodles.
- DIY pasta bowls: Cook pasta, then let kids add their choice of toppings—sautéed zucchini, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese.
In my house, it’s often roasted vegetables and chickpeas tossed with whatever grain I’ve made a big batch of on the weekend.
Make it age-appropriate
The skills kids learn in the kitchen last a lifetime. When children know how to plan a meal, stretch leftovers into the next day’s lunch, or turn wilting greens into soup, they learn how to feed themselves, waste less, and think critically about where food comes from. That’s climate action at the table. Kids’ tasks can grow with them:
- Ages 3–5: wash produce, tear lettuce, stir.
- Ages 6–8: measure ingredients, peel carrots, and set the table.
- Ages 9–12: chop with a kid-safe knife, follow simple recipes, take over one dinner a week.
- Teens: full meal planning and cooking (with cleanup!).
Build food skills as climate action
The start of a school year is the perfect time to create new rhythms. Alongside shopping for reusable lunch containers and filling backpacks, families can commit to small changes that add up:
- Make one night a “use what we have” dinner: Once a week, I challenge myself and my kid to build dinner around foods close to spoiling. On a household level, this habit reduces waste, saves money, and lowers our carbon footprint. On a bigger scale, it’s a practice in delayed gratification.
- Involve kids in planning and cooking: I often ask my child to suggest one meal for the week, ensuring it includes a protein, a vegetable, and a starch. Having her contribute reduces my mental load, teaches basic nutrition, and builds awareness of how food choices connect to climate and equity.
- Have your child pack a lunch or snack once a week: My kid usually brings lunch to school, and I’ve found that letting her choose and pack it herself helps her build healthy habits while teaching her about which foods are and are not carbon-intensive.
- Start a “scrap bag” for broth or compost: Kids too young to cook can still collect onion skins, carrot tops, and herb stems in a freezer bag. Later, you can simmer them together in broth or add them to a compost bin.
None of these shifts is overwhelming, but they create a sense of purpose. Kids notice when their choices make a difference, and those skills stick, setting them up for a lifetime of climate-conscious cooking.
Bridget Shirvell is a freelance journalist and the author of Parenting in a Climate Crisis. A handbook that explores the challenges and opportunities of raising children in an era of climate change. Her work has been featured in various publications, including The New York Times, Grist, and Fast Company, where she combines personal insights with expert perspectives to inspire and inform readers. Bridget is passionate about raising awareness and sparking meaningful conversations around climate action and the future of the next generation. You can follow her Substack here.
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