Green Celebrities!

     On Thursday November 25 NBC News San Diego posted an article title “A Day Without Plastics”. The article caught my eye because not having plastic bags would change the Green industry for the better. After reading the article I noticed a section titled, “Green Celebrities”, it was perfect! What better way to encourage and inspire the youth to be more “green” than to show them the people they watch and look up to at that age, the celebrities. Since becoming the director of a science program for high school students that focuses on “Green Living”, I have thought about how to get Celebrities and the Youth connected on going green. 

     Working with my students I have a greater appreciation of how today’s celebrities can influence the “cool “ kids and the “un cool” kids, but more importantly how they are influencing them. Discussion are no longer just about the celebrities are wearing, but how they eat, how they shop, how are they impacting this world are in the discussion about today’s celebrities.  Knowing that it can be pretty clear how something as simple as “Green Celebrities” can have an impact on how the future generations accept and view the green industry.

     The celebrities listed in this section we from all generations and I would say known by today’s youth and older. Celebrities starting with Cameron Diaz going to Larry King to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but more importantly beneath each celebrities photo was a description of what they were doing that was “Green” friendly; “actress Hayden Panettiere is one tough activist. In 2007 she stood toe to toe with Japanese whale and dolphin hunters and blocked them from killing the creatures”-Source: A Day Without Plastic | NBC San Diego.  

     Posting this list of celebrities on popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter could almost be seen as free advertising for the green industry. Whatever issues the celebrities are working on the youth would then become aware of it and become and advocate for the issue them self. Even if it is celebrities making recyclable bags over plastic bags the new fad it gets the youth being both “cool” and “green”.

San Diego Students Present on Climate Change

One of the most discussed topics in the Green Industry is Climate Change.  On Saturday November 13^th ,5 San Diego High students, participants in the Elementary Institute of Science's Commission on Science that Matters, spoke about climate change at the California Wolf Center, but this was no ordinary presentation. These students spoke to the Climate Change research they conducted earlier this July in Glacier National Park. On the original research trip 21 students and 10 chaperones traveled by train from San Diego to Glacier National Park in Montana for a 6 day in park research expedition. While there, students conduct 3 research projects, repeat photography, mountain goat survey, and pika survey. Each of the 3 research projects helped students to identify different areas within the park that are being affected by climate change.

            Starting with repeat photography, students used old photographs of the landscape and took the exact photo in present day to see the physical changes to the environment. Both the mountain goat and pika are climate change indicator species and students studied their population and behaviors to see how both are being affected by climate change. The results from each of the projects helped to prove climate is happening in the park and it is affecting the park and its inhabitants.  Repeat photography showed loss of vegetation and vegetation growth and take over due to warmer temperatures and shorter winters. The mountain goat and pika both showed students how the warmer temperatures are causing them to move further in to mountains to maintain their required cold core body temperature.

            This presentation and students like these are important to the future of the Green Industry. These students are becoming knowledgeable and presenting on a topic that is accepted by some and shunned by others.  Either way these students are the future of the Green Industry and presentations and students like this are what is going to keep the industry growing.

Diamonds, Education, and Going Green in London

          The Diamond Empowerment Fund was in London earlier this November for their Diamonds in the Sky benefit event. The benefit raised $1 million for the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which will go towards the education of African nations. The Diamond Empowerment Fund is a non-profit organization under the Hip Hop mogul Russell Simmons Rush Communications.  The non-profit also launched in London a new style of apartment, apartments made for recycled trash container (large industrial size).  The containers have been recycled into livable apartments with all the amenities of a regular apartment. The containers are stacked and made so the occupant does not realize they are actually living in what used to hold waste, which is good, most wouldn’t want to live in something that reminded them of where it came from. The recycled apartments will hopefully be introduced in America in near future, probably first being introduced in New York first. I wonder if Russell Simmons will purchase one for himself?

            It is events like the benefit and the introduction of the recycled housing that need to get more coverage so that more people can be informed and inspired. By having such a huge icon as Russell Simmons backing such projects it does help to bring in money of course, but it also brings generations together on our most current education and “green” issues.  The people with the “money” to support such initiatives see Russell Simmons name and know that they are supporting something well worth their money and have a trusted face to relate with. On the other hand you have the younger generations who see Russell Simmons, and relate with what he has done in Hip Hop and the Fashion industry and now the Green industry. The younger generations think well if Russell Simmons is doing his part to be “Green” then maybe it’s not such a bad thing to do myself.  Now the youth will not be able to put as much money into initiatives like this but what they can do is start to bring awareness to their friends and start their own “Green” initiatives. Having icons like Russell Simmons to be the face of “Green” initiatives or speak to youth about “green” is what the Green industry needs to help bridge the current gap between “cool” and “un cool green supporting” youth. The un cool will continue to do ‘”green” regardless of who the face is because their main focus is the earth’s health, but the cool kids need a cool face to relate to and icons like Russell Simmons are the that face.