Ha Ji-won, president of Eco Mom Korea, believes that moms will lead the way in turning Korea into a greener nation.

“A real change will arrive when more moms realize what’s good for the Earth is good for their children, too,” she said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

A leader of the self-proclaimed eco moms, Ha founded non-profit organization Eco Mom Korea three years ago, with the aim of cultivating a green lifestyle at home.

“Our movement is not about sacrificing convenience for the sake of the earth. It is more of a positive one, with moms trying to find a better way of homemaking for their own children and family,” she said.

“It is a way of living healthier and happier.”

If one tries to cut down on air-conditioning during hot summer days just out of environmental concerns, it becomes an act of sacrifice and requires a strong commitment to continue.

But if one looks at it from a different perspective ― say, keeping indoor temperatures a little higher helps boost children’s immune system ― it becomes much more endurable, she explained.

A long-time environmental expert, Ha realized the importance of having a mindset in the green movement only after she became a mother herself 11 years ago. 

“It was all just knowledge before. But mothering my daughter, I started to understand it by heart and get really moved from within,” she said.

It is not just her who underwent such a change of mindset.

Many who were little interested in organic food before may suddenly become organic food lovers once they become mothers. This has led to explosive market growth in organic, eco-friendly child care products.

“Moms and their kids are at the epicenter of emerging green consumerism in Korea,” Ha said.

Eco Mom Korea, which started in 2009, now has about 45,000 members.

Among various programs it runs to encourage people to embrace green living, Ha stressed the global eco leader program, a year-long curriculum teaching elementary- and middle-school students about environmental issues.

“It is a program designed to nurture future green leaders of our society,” she said.

The kids meet once a month to learn various lessons about the environment, and go camping together during summer and winter vacations ― all designed to bring them closer to nature and realize the importance of preserving it.

“When these kids return to their homes and schools, they become little environmental activists,” she said.

Apart of children’s education, the organization runs programs for environment-conscious moms to network and exchange their experiences. It also offers training for school teachers.

“There is a surging demand for our programs as many want to live in harmony with nature.”

The eco mom movement will be a key driver of the national campaign to pursue low-carbon green growth, she said.

A 10 percent reduction in energy use may be a tough target in factories. They may have to invest a lot to switch to energy-saving facilities or develop new technologies and so on.

But at home, simply unplugging computers and electric appliances while not in use can easily achieve that goal, Ha said. The household sector accounts for more than 40 percent of the country’s total energy consumption.

By Lee Sun-young  (milaya@heraldcorp.com)