Green Youth Movements Teach Kids Important Lessons

The leaves may be changing colors soon, but students across the country are going green. A youth-led organization is engaging high school and college students in a 30-day challenge to adjust their habits and go green.

The Project Green Challenge, which began October 1, offers participating students 30 daily tips "to raise awareness about conscious living, informed consumption, and the collective impact of individual actions, as well as empower students with actionable steps for their own lives," according to the project's website.

The Project Green Challenge is a campaign by the student-led organization Teens Turning Green. Founded in 2005, the group is "devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities."

The aim of the 30-day challenge is to both inspire students to alter their own habits and to reach out and touch others. The students who use internet and social media the most to share their experiences will have the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for a two day educational conference called "Green University."

Teens Turning Green co-founder Erin Schrode, 20, describes the Project Green Challenge as "thirty simple steps to take your life from conventional to conscious."

She told The Huffington Post that despite this being Project Green Challenge's first year, her organization has received a strong response from youth in 44 states and across the world.

Schrode was clear about her organization's mission. She said they want "to change the world, to prove that apathy is out, and to empower young people to be the change we wish to see in the world."

She added, "I want to demonstrate to my peers that you can live consciously without sacrificing anything, be it quality, style, time, whatever."

Audubon is also encouraging kids to take action for the environment. They recently launched the year-long Pennies for the Planet campaign encouraging youth to learn about conservation while raising money for environmental projects.

Schools are also taking steps to be more environmentally conscious. Schools in states such as Kentucky, New York and Virginia have all built facilities that implement alternative energy sources and increased efficiency measures. The state of Maryland is now including environmental literacy as a high school graduation requirement.

Be sure to find out how you can be a part of October's International Walk to School Month.

For information about how you can get involved with the Project Green Challenge, visit the campaign's website.

Comments

[El Chingaso]

05:06 AM on 10/03/2011

Yes, the green pea soup scene in "The Exorcist" certainly comes to mind whenever greenies raise their pointy little heads. A nation that is completely based on fossil fuel burning engines? Give me a break, Holmes...

[mdh461]

08:34 PM on 10/02/2011

K-8. I walked to school so did many others.

[ima conservative]

06:42 PM on 10/02/2011

going green is a indoctrination of ignorant folks. a little common sense and understanding of the enviroment is important. both of these traits are missing in todays youth and partly because of their 1970"s parents. The Al Gores of the worls with a get rich ideology of scaming global warming and save the whales is running amuck.

[raechel]

07:35 PM on 10/02/2011

Good grief. Grammar check before posting, please. Especially if you are going to call other people ignorant.

[mdh461]

08:34 PM on 10/02/2011

Take a time out Missy.

[Iplayeasy]

05:15 PM on 10/02/2011

When I went to school, any kids that turned green usually threw up and were sent home. My how times have changed.

[ontariogirl]

02:40 PM on 10/02/2011

On two recent trips to the US neither state had any recycle facilities in the condos we stayed at. I was surprised to see that.

[raechel]

07:36 PM on 10/02/2011

What most industrialized countries take for granted, we don't. It's odd, isn't it?

[ontariogirl]

09:27 AM on 10/03/2011

Recycling is just so simple. I have a hard time throwing stuff in the garbage I know can be recycled. All we can do is our part and hope everyone does the same. There is so much more room for improvement all around the world. Thanks for listening to my rant. :)

[Andrew Harvey]

02:12 AM on 10/02/2011

ah, yes, the indoctrination must start early if its to take hold.

Maybe the can hold hands and sing the Soviet national anthem after school lets out.

Wouldn't that be special

[raechel]

07:40 PM on 10/02/2011

Animals that live in trees (monkeys, for example) have no concern for the environment -- they just throw it down and it disappears.