“Watch Me Change the World”

 
 

Update: Jan 2009 - Funding application unsuccessful so that deadline of Earth Day 2009 is unlikely to be met for completion of the project.  Will forge forward however!


On April 22nd (Earth Day) there will be a new “home-grown” product on Northern Vancouver Island - a book and web project entitled “Watch Me Change the World.”


The project is aimed at celebrating the actions that result from environmental awareness and how, often, it is children that are our environmental teachers and leaders. They are often the ones that remind us of our connection to nature and how we can easily make a difference. The project will showcase examples of local youth’s daily efforts to reduce their “ecological footprint.”


So here’s the invitation:  Parents, teachers, kids - make me further aware of the efforts of our North Island youth.  Examples:  choosing to reduce water consumption by not running the water when they brush their teeth; writing a letter to express concern about the amount of a product’s packaging; stopping the use of Styrofoam in their schools; improving recycling programmes; making adults aware of the importance of biodegradable products and - there’s so much more.


Please submit a brief descriptor of the positive action with a suggestion of how this would be captured in a photograph.  Include names of the youth and contact information of parents/guardians.


Area to be serviced: Northern Vancouver Island

Deadline for submissions:  Ongoing

Age group to be featured:  5 to 19

 

Further details:


Book and web project entitled “Watch Me Change the World.”


The project is aimed at celebrating the actions that result from environmental awareness and how, often, it is children that are our environmental teachers and leaders. They are often the ones that remind us of our connection to nature and how we can easily make a difference. The project will showcase examples of youth’s daily efforts to reduce their “ecological footprint.”


The project will feature a photo of the child that illuminates their environmental action and text that explains the positive impacts thereof.


The environmental actions featured must be unsolicited by adults; truly being the initiative of the child.


An introduction will be provided that highlights the cumulative impact of such environmental action.  The webpage and book will provide an opportunity for the reader to commit to undertake their own action(s). The webpage will be highly interactive; having blogging and “action tracking” possibilities for both children and teens/adults.  It will be highly dynamic to allow posting of additional positive actions and will be build to allow expansion to include other communities.



Examples of actions that will be featured:

  1. •Liam and Cameron’s  (Port McNeill) – garbage awareness campaign

  2. •Sointula students success in banning Styrofoam use from their school

  3. •Claire’s (Port Hardy) letter writing to create awareness about the likes of child labour and environmentally unfriendly packaging.

  4. •Brian’s teaching adults about bioaccumulation in local killer whales

  5. •The children of the remote community of Kingcome taking on recycling and making their own biodegradable cleaners

  6. •The children of Fort Rupert making their own durable alternative to sandwich bags

  7. •Nicole’s (Port McNeill) activism work in protecting wild salmon

  8. •Charlotte (Port McNeill) making her home toxic chemical free

  9. •Andrew’s (Port McNeill) passion for being outside and learning from nature