Green fathering in the (m)Anthropocene

This paper examines the concept of green fathering, addressing a gap in research on how the climate crisis influences men’s views on fatherhood and fathering practices. Based on a qualitative study of fathers who live in Danish eco-villages, we explore their concerns, aspirations and commitments to raising children ‘the green way’. Drawing on theories of alternative hedonism and ecological masculinity, we analyse how green fathering is constituted, motivated and practiced across five interrelated dimensions. First, it is shaped through a redefinition of ‘the good life’ grounded in alternative hedonism; second, through a future-oriented ethic of care that emphasises the cultivation of ecological virtues in children; third, through linking visions of ‘the good, green childhood’ to nature, freedom, and autonomy; fourth, through a deep commitment to care and community; and fifth, through challenging dominant masculinity scripts and advocating for men’s emotional and ecological accountability. We discuss how green fathering represents a critical, transformative approach, that is distinctive in these father’s concern to give priority to new modes of thinking about personal as well as paternal fulfilment in order to promote positive social change for both current and future generations.