Global Warming: Kids Find Ways to Cool the Earth
Can kids really take action on the environment? Can they influence their parents to reduce carbon emissions? Apparently so, says Cool the Earth, a new climate-change enrichment program, launched by a mom in Kentfield, California. The program has already saved more than 8 million pounds of carbon from going into the atmosphere and has influenced 6,000 households to take 10,000 positive actions to reduce carbon emissions. With additional funding in place and a web-based delivery system available this summer, this program—currently running in 25 Northern California schools–expects to expand to 100 schools in the fall (from Texas to New York) and is positioned to become a national model for positive environmental change.
- » See also: Grow Your Own Tree Hugger: 101 Activities to Teach Your Child How to Live Green
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An Engaging Environmental Awareness Program for Kids
“Our program is based on engaging children and their families in the issues of climate change in a fun and tangible way,” says Carleen Cullen, co-founder and Executive Director of Cool the Earth, a nonprofit organization. “Once children see how easy it is to take positive action, they enthusiastically get the whole family to engage in reducing their carbon footprint.”
Inspired by what she saw in Al Gore’s famous movie, the movie “An Inconvenient Truth, ” Cullen developed a parent-run ‘education through action‘ geared towards kids from K - 8 the grade. Following a lively assembly, tarring the school’s teachers in the roles of Mr. Carbon and Polar Bear, students are given action
coupon books outlining 20 no or low-cost ways their family can reduce their carbon emissions. The total actions families take at home are then tracked on a banner, providing tangible and inspiring results.
A Program That Spreads Like Wildfire
Cullen launched the pilot program in the winter of 2007, in Bacich Elementary in Kentfield, California, where her children attend school. After several months of success, the program spread like wild fire to 25 schools, and has now succeeded in eliminating more than 8 million pounds of carbon, the equivalent of taking more than 750 cars off the road.
In just one year, Cool the Earth has already won local environmental awards from the City of Sonoma’s All Stars Climate Conference, for “achieving powerful results in a short period of time,” and “A Rising Sun” award from the weekly newspaper The Pacific Sun. The grassroots program has also garnered attention in the Marin I.J., The Wall St. Journal, and national parenting monthly Kiwi Magazine.
For more information, please visit CooltheEarth.org
- » See also: Solar Panels with Group Discounts in Sonoma County, CA
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this post is not working correctly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZD-nouflg8
i dont get this!!!
[...] Earlier this year on ECP you heard about Cool the Earth motivating over 6,000 families to make over 10,000 environmental changes impacting their carbon emissions, saving more than 8 million pounds of carbon from going into the atmosphere, (the equivalent of taking 750 cars off the road) and championing change in 25 Northern California schools… [...]
[...] facing their generation, we increasingly see them speaking about about the problems and often even taking action. Climate change is a hot topic of conversation these days (pun intended) and the more that kids are [...]
[...] facing their generation, we increasingly see them speaking about about the problems and often even taking action. Climate change is a hot topic of conversation these days (pun intended) and the more that kids are [...]
lol this rubbish