Photo Courtesy of Chadwick Prichard
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A group called the Emission Commission has published a Top Ten list of environmental songs (and tunes with meaningful lyrics).
The choices span the spectrum from "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills and Nash, to "Fall on Me" by R.E.M., "Superman's Song" by Crash Test Dummies, "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson and (coming in at No. 1) Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."
Just who is the Emission Commission? The group is headed by Chadwick Prichard, who says environmental music is one of his greatest interests, "because some people will only listen to the 'green' message if embedded in one of their favorite songs."
Who is Prichard? He's a 17-year-old student at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Maine. He recruited four classmates to compete in the 2008-2009 Lexus Eco Challenge.
They wrote a children's book, established exhibits at community high schools, launched the Anti Pollution Revolution Campaign, a Facebook page, a MySpace page, a global online petition and an online survey. The goal: Reaching a national audience about the effects of vehicular and industrial pollution, according to the contest sponsors. The blog received about 20,000 hits in three months
They won. First, a $10,000 regional prize, and then a $30,000 national prize, as one of 14 first-place teams.
Prichard and his friends each got $5,400 in scholarships, and the rest went to the school.
Prichard has carried on the project since winning the contest, blogging under the banner of the Anti Pollution Revolution Campaign.
He's now a senior in high school, and plans on studying at a university, but is undecided on a degree to pursue.
"For aspiring young environmentalists, my best advice is to know what you're advocating for," he says.
"If you want to raise awareness about climate change, first learn the science behind the subject and become familiar with the debate in the public spectrum. Only then you can form a defensible opinion."
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