Giving Compass' Take:

• Author Ellen Sabin shares her thoughts on opening up a dialogue with kids about the environment and the concept of "going green." The main takeaway is to do more listening than talking.

• How are we passing our value systems down to the next generation? The advice here is useful for those who want to better connect with their children about climate concerns or any other giving endeavors.

• We chatted with Children & Nature Network on Twitter about the many benefits of getting kids outside.

Messages about being “green” are everywhere these days, but most of these discussions and the actions being suggested are for adults.  Based off of the approach in my book, "The Greening Book: Being a Friend to Planet Earth," I think we can let children think about what they get from the earth and, in turn, what they want to do to give back to the planet to make a difference and be “green.”

Teach by Listening. You can start this dialogue by sharing some of your favorite places in nature and things you get from our planet. Then encourage them to think about and share their own personal reasons for taking care of the environment.

Capture the Reasons. Encourage children to capture their feelings about the earth and its living creatures by journaling, drawing pictures, taking photographs or creating scrapbooks.

Use Your Voice. If you are committed to inspiring the next generation of environmental thinkers, one fun way for you to spread the word is to host a reading event in your local community school, library, or other settings.

And, a word on impact investing ... Children are not too young to learn about the power of money. In age-appropriate ways, you can explain how people can choose to invest (grow) their money in ways that are consistent with their values and missions. This conversation will help budding environmentalists and budding philanthropists to begin to weave together the various actions they can take as they seek to be kind to planet earth.

Read the full article about letting kids decide what it means to be "green" by Ellen Sabin at ncfp.org