The Power is Yours!!!
I am an 80’s baby. I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons and one of my favorites was Captain Planet. It was an empowering cartoon that showed how teens can join forces to fight evil doers trying to pollute the earth. Thanks to watching Captain Planet, my brother and I began pushing our parents to recycle. Being able to tell my parents what they are and are not allowed to throw away brought me quite a bit of joy as a child. It empowered me and I realized that even though I am not be able to call forth a magical pollution fighting hero from a decoder ring, as they did on Captain Planet, I can still stand up for the environment in my everyday life. That engrained empowerment from my childhood has stayed with me through my entire life and as a Green Living Science board member. I want to pass that on to every child in Detroit.
This is where Green Living Science comes in. Green Living Science empowers youth in Detroit to understand that they have the power to change the world they live in. Throughout the school year, students learn about how their choices in their everyday lives impact the planet. They see the impact of driving cars, using electricity and burning trash and how all of these things can have negative impacts on the environment and their health.
Then comes Earth Day. On Earth day Detroit youth are empowered to learn firsthand the actions that can be done to diminish their impact on the environment. They learn about renewable energy sources, electric cars and this year DTE will be onsite providing a presentation about energy and the importance of reducing energy. Earth day brings their learning full circle!
The world has changed a lot since I spent Saturday mornings eating cereal in my PJ’s, watching Captain Planet capture a shady business man dumping pollutants in lakes. I see that today’s youth are dealing with WAY more than I ever had and I imagine how it must be difficult to process and filter that information. Green Living Science takes on a small portion of that by providing kids with ways they can impact their environment and realize that the power is truly yours!
-Terietta Ingram
