Courtesy of dosomething.org
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Recently, Planet Green spoke to Melanie Stevenson, the Head of Community Outreach at Do Something, a program that helps schools and teens enact programs of do-gooding. One of those programs is the Increase Your Green Competition. Schools compete against one another to increase their green and raise ecological awareness in their communities. The grand prize is a grant of $1500 for the school, eco-friendly gift bags, a plaque commemorating their achievement and a chance to be visited by the biotour bus.
Planet Green: What were the reasons that Do Something started the Increase Your Green competition?
Melanie Stevenson: Do Something believes teenagers have the power to make a difference. Not when they grow up, or when they graduate, today's teens can do something NOW! The environment is at the forefront of everyone's minds, and high school students are no exception. By uniting their efforts to go green in a place where they spend most of their time, often in buildings with large carbon footprints, is a way to maximize their impact. Students in Oregon and students in Florida are, in effect, working together to combat climate change in a tangible way.
PG: Your organization works with kids. What can a kid do on an individual level to increase his or her green?
MS: There's so much a teen can do to Increase his or her green. Ride a bike, skateboard or scooter—carpool or use public transportation. Choose organic and local foods. Say no to plastic! Carry around a reusable bag and stash your reusable water inside. Donate old cell phones and locate the proper drop-off location for e-waste. Hold a screening of An Inconvenient Truth or a local foods tasting with your friends. We have TONS of ways to take action and guides to help you along the way at Dosomething.org.
PG: The previous winners changed school policies to conserve energy. What policies did they change?
MS: Last year's winners, Boston Latin School, changed school policy that left unused computers on all night and over the weekend, saving 33,600 hours of energy. They also permanently switched all school printers to switch all jobs to automatic double-sided printing and worked with the headmaster and the janitor to implement a new recycling program for cans, bottles, and glass.
PG: Wisdom often comes from the mouths of babes? What were some of the more novel ideas that some of these kids came up with?
MS: Some of the most innovative projects I've seen include a group of students petitioning their mayor for bike lanes throughout the town. One school in Wisconsin held a rake-a-thon with teams competing to see who can rake the most lawns in one week and composting the results. Another brilliant group from Maryland created an Eco Machine, a living miniature ecosystem that shows how polluted sediment in the Chesapeake Bay leads to low oxygen levels and harms aquatic life. Talk about creative! They integrated the machine into their science classes and even brought it to surrounding schools to share their green genius and teach sustainability to others.
PG: What is the biggest culprit, in terms of waste or energy efficiency, that the kids often change or, at least, illuminate in their schools?
MS: I'd say the most popular projects have been implementing new recycling programs or pressing for less wasteful energy use. Recycling paper, aluminum, and glass can be a big expense for schools. But, when students take the lead and, through their efforts, highlight how important it is to them, schools are likely to support them. So many schools are wasteful with their energy use. Lights stay on overnight and computers sit unused for hours on end. Teens are putting a stop to that by sticking reminders on light switches and computer monitors and talking with their school's IT staff to enforce more efficient energy use—and save money, which can help fund those expensive recycling programs.
PG: Do you have plans for more eco-oriented competitions or events in the future?
MS: We sincerely hope that Increase Your Green will be an annual program for Do Something. Thanks to the generous contribution of the National Grid Foundation, we've been able to support students' environmental efforts for two awesome years. We want to see this continue to grow for many years to come. We recently awarded 10 $500 "green grants" to young environmentalists ranging in age from 12-23. You can check out their projects at www.dosomething.org/grants. You can get a Do Something ecobag for $15 at www.ecobags.com. So, yes, the environment and sustainability will continue to be an important part of what Do Something's all about.
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