Lexi Petronis - 47 Things Teens Can Do for the Environment

E ver since I was a little kid, I have always loved our environment and felt strongly about protecting it. But I realized, about 10 years ago, that we were not doing enough to protect it. My biggest gripe was that the schools my kids went to were doing very little to teach students how to be good environmental stewards. I noticed that there were recyclables in every trash can, that energy and paper were being majorly wasted, and that environmental education boiled down to a silly puppet show about recycling on Earth Day. The teachers and parents were basically teaching the students what not to do. I knew there had to be a better way.

So, in 2002, I founded the Go Green Initiative, an all-inclusive environmental action plan that helps schools measure and reduce their environmental footprint. The initiative has since been adopted by schools across the United States and in 44 countries around the world. Because of this initiative, schools all over are greener, cleaner places. But there is still a lot of work to be done, and much of it is up to you.

47 Things You Can Do For the Environment is a great place to start. Your generation is one that values integrity, curiosity, and progressive thinking, and this book will help you create a lifestyle that reflects those values. By offering simple, yet meaningful ways to protect the environment on a daily basis, this book bridges the gap between Earth Day and every day.

My greatest hope is that this book will end up in the hands of millions of young people who will use it as a gateway into a new age in which we learn to treat the Earth as a precious place to be treaded gently upon, and handed down from one generation to the next.

T heres no doubt about it, our environment is in crisis. Everywhere you go, people are talking about it: how the earth is warming up as a result of too much carbon dioxide in the air and too few trees left to absorb it, how oil-drilling is ruining natural habitats, how trash is overflowing into our waterways, and how chemicals used in various products are making people and wildlife sick. Ugh.

You know the planet is in trouble. The question is: What can you do about it? Go out and buy a brand new $30,000 hybrid car? Persuade all of the health clubs in your town to install low-flow showerheads and toilets? Revamp your entire house to operate on solar heat? Come on you know better than anyone that this kind of stuff is hardly a reality for most high school kids. But whats the point of mulling over what you cant do, when there is so much that you can do?

You dont have to run out tomorrow and build a car that runs on vegetable oil, or ship out to South America to save the rain forests. You just have to get informed and start making small changes, one at a time. Decisions to shop, drive, and even party differently can have a huge and positive impact on the health of the earth. Thats what 47 Things is about.

In this book, youll find tons of real things that teens can do to make a difference. Some things are as easy as eating less meat, planning a green date, or learning to shop vintage. Others are more involved, like hosting a green film festival for friends, creating an environmental task force at school, or going on an eco-adventure to gain a deeper love and appreciation for this beautiful spinning rock we call home.

Why teens? you might ask. The answer is simple. Youre strong, creative, and motivated. Youre doers and dreamers. And youre also the ones who will inherit the planet. If change is going to happen, it has to start with you.

S having is a big deal. For guys, the first shave is a whole rite of passage, signifying the transformation from boy to man. And the way guys grow out their facial hair, from goatee to sideburns, is a big part of expressing their personality. For girls, shaving means the difference between wearing that new skirt or throwing on those old jeans again. And when bikini time comes around, its like half of a girls beauty regimen! But shaving also takes its toll on the environment. That doesnt mean you should become a hairy-legged hippie chick or a bristly mountain man. Just take your hair removal to a greener level.