A 10 year old created clean up and recycling programs in her area, an 8 year old wrote and illustrated a book about butterflies that he sold then donated the money to the World Wildlife Fund, a 12 year old in Abu Dhabi created an awareness campaign about camels who die because of trash in the desert, a 15 helped create a garden and open air classroom that produced over 1000 pounds of organic produce that was used for school lunches and donated to needy families in the area. Another 15 year old in California devised tests for air purifiers that changed California legislation.

And that’s just a sample of what the winners of AFN’s 2009 Young Eco-Heroes Awards have done.

Kids can do amazing things. That’s why it is so important to teach them and encourage them to be the best the can, to be empathetic, to care. What a child learns now, what they are exposed to, the life they live now…will always be with them.

Children are not inconsequential. They do have the power to change the world today… and far into the future.

The Action for Nature (AFN) organization recognizes the fact that kids can be heroes. They hold an annual award contest for international children who are doing amazing things for the environment.

Could your child be the next Young Eco-Hero?

Applications and guidelines for the 2010 award are available from August 2009 through January 2010 at www.actionfornature.org.

“Youth must be at least 8 years old and no more than 16 years old as of February 28, 2010. Projects must concern environmental advocacy, environmental health, research or protection of the natural world. Projects must be current in the last year. Ongoing efforts that include an outreach or education component are more likely to be recognized.”

To get an idea of what AFN looks for check out this year’s winners and the projects they did.

2009 INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ECO-HERO AWARDS WINNERS

Ages 8 to 13

Erik Uebelacker, First Place, Age 8, Bel Air, Maryland , U.S.A. – A Book for Butterflies

Cameron Oliver, First Place, Age 12, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Save the Camel Campaign

Adeline Tiffanie Suwana, First Place, Age 12, Kelapa Gading Permai, Indonesia – Saving Indonesia

Max Kesselman, Honorable Mention, Age 10, Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.- Birthday Cleanup Bash

Kevin Huo, Honorable Mention, Age 10, Foster City, California, U.S.A. – Bus Art for Nature

Samantha Muscarella, Honorable Mention, Age 10, Farmingdale, New York, U.S.A. – Clean Up and Recycling Programs

Ages 14 to 16

Otana Jakpor, First Place, Age 15, Riverside, California, U.S.A. – Air Purifiers and Pollution

Sam Levin, First Place, Age 15, New Marlborough, Massachusetts, U.S.A. – High School Food Garden

Adarsha Shivakumar, Age 15 & Apoorva Rangan, Age 14, Pleasant Hill, California, U.S.A., First Place – Biofuel for India

Clay McMullen, Second Place, Age 14, Chesterland, Ohio, U.S.A. – Wetlands Education Team (WET)

Dakota Palacio, Second Place, Age 15, Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S.A. – Youth-driven Conservation and Community Service

Chitranshu Tewari,Second Place, Age 15, Bihar, India – Student Eco-clubs

Matthew Erickson, Honorable Mention, Age 16, Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.A. – Energy-saving Light Bulb Project

Brenda Mejane, Honorable Mention, Age 14, Buea, Cameroon – Keep Buea Clean

Ryan Morgan, Honorable Mention, Age 16, Moscow, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. – Project Greenlight

Max Ozimek, Honorable Mention, Age 14, Strongsville, Ohio, U.S.A. – Solar Ovens for Uganda

Sean Russell, Honorable Mention, Age 16, Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A. – Saving Marine Life from Fishing Lines

Reza Tjahjono, Honorable Mention, Age 16, Baten, Indonesia – Organic Waste and Compost Project

[This post was written by Wenona Napolitano.]