Create

A BETTER FUTURE

YOUTH

Corporations spend millions of dollars trying to convince the youth of society to buy their stuff. Why are corporations so interested in youth? Teenagers today are buying more than ever before. All of this buying is affecting the world we live in—both you and the planet. The fact is that our buy-and-throw-away culture is taking a heavy toll on the environment. Although we do not always see the effects, everything we buy comes from the Earth and returns to it in one form or another. The good thing is that you're the one in charge. Whether it's color, taste, style, or how the item is made, you have a choice. Buy stuff that is better for the planet and you'll make a difference. Youth can make the difference. You've probably heard that before - maybe in school, written on a sign, or even in some cool ad. The fact is, it's true. You, working together with millions of others, can help change the world, and it isn't that hard. Just changing a little bit about the things you buy, when added to the actions of many others, can have a huge impact on the environment.

My Community, Our Earth - Geographic learning for sustainable development. My Community, Our Earth (MyCOE) wants to help YOU make a difference in your own community! Create sustainable development solutions using the tools and concepts of geography. Youth from middle school, secondary school, or university levels are invited to work as individuals or teams to learn more about the topic of sustainable development and explore how young people can get involved all around the globe.

C-Beyond Youth Empowerment Center - C-Beyond exists to develop youth leaders who realize their individual and collective power to organize and create unity for the good of all people. We educate youth of color, low-income youth, young women, disabled youth, and other disadvantaged youth in Concord and Bay Point/Pittsburg, California. We believe that oppression affects everyone, we dedicate ourselves to fighting it in all forms, and we continue to struggle with respect and in unity for the liberation of all people.

Be Different, Buy Different, Live Different - What do teens, shopping, and protecting the environment have in common? Lots. You wouldn’t think so at first. After all, we hear about global warming…endangered species… pollution—in fact, there’s so much depressing news about the environment, it’s easy to get discouraged and think you can’t make things better. So can one kid really make a difference just by buying differently? Absolutely. And we can prove it.

Sierra Youth Coalition - The Sustainable Campuses project aims to support, document and spread the efforts of Canadian post-secondary students at creating and implementing sustainable initiatives for their educational institutions. This is the only Canadian network of post-secondary students, which has had over 60 campuses participating and collaborating in their efforts at "campus greening".

SustainUS - Founded in 2001, SustainUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education and advocacy at the policy-making level and at the grassroots, we are building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. We strive to reflect to our values through the diversity of members and projects, our ongoing commitment to educating ourselves and others, and the way we live our lives.

Working Assets: Youth Focus Fund - Make the world a better place for kids. When you sign up with the Working Assets Youth Focus your everyday purchases can create a better future for kids.

University of Texas Environmental Center - The Center is a resource for UT students interested in the environment. It works to help students learn about and get involved in environmental issues, to serve as a resource for student environmental organizations, and to reduce the University's environmental impact.

Smart Energy Use - Learn more about how you can save energy at home and at school! On the web site there are two quizzes to test your energy smart know-how.

Peace Child International - Peace Child International is a sustainable development network of 500 high-school student groups in 120 countries, run by young people in equal partnership with adult professionals. Its purpose is to empower young people today by giving them the confidence and the skills to create a better tomorrow, to implement Agenda 21, assume a voice in world affairs, and contribute in a meaningful way to the shaping of our common future.

Sustainability Student Action Kit - The Sustainability Student Action Kit is an educational package of thirteen 12-minute films, a 240-page book, a DVD, and a website linking to youth-led sustainable development projects around the world.

The Climate Campaign - The Climate Campaign is a collaborative effort of the Northeast's student environmental networks to make our schools and our states lead the way in the fight against global warming.

The Cost of Cool - The Cost of Cool is a new video designed to demonstrate to American teenagers the cost of being cool.” This 26-minute production looks at everyday items, from T-shirts to sneakers, and tracks the impact of their manufacture on the world’s resources. The consumer cost of these items is compared to their actual environmental costs, offering a revealing examination of the problem of over-consumption.

Ollie Saves the Planet - Ollie Saves the Planet is a web site for children. It explores the 4R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink as they apply to the 5 action issues of Waste, Water, Energy, Air and Biodiversity. It's full of games, puzzles and loads of information and projects.

The World Bank Development Challenge: Connect - Young people from around the world want to know about you. Go to this web site, pick a question, and send an answer.

UN CyberSchoolBus - The United Nations Cyberschoolbus was created in 1996 as the online education component of the Global Teaching and Learning Project, whose mission is to promote education about international issues and the United Nations. The Global Teaching and Learning Project provides an effective medium with which to disseminate information and resources about international affairs, as well as bring together diverse communities of students and educators from around the world.