TRUE GREEN KIDS BOOK RELEASE
True Green Kids Book Release
MEDIA RELEASE Wdnesday 2 April, 2008AUSTRALIAN KIDS RATE ENVIRONMENT AS PRIMARY CONCERN*
True Green Kids Shows Aussie Kids what they can do to help save the planet...
Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Clean Up's Ian Kiernan lend support at Minister's Old School - Gordon West Public
A new book released today, True Green Kids....100 things you can do to save the planet by Kim McKay & Jenny Bonnin (ABC Books, $22.95) goes a long way to answering the concerns of young Australians about the role they can play in reducing carbon emissions, according to the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, AM MP.
Speaking at a school assembly to launch the book at his ‘alma mater', Gordon West Public, the Minister said that while the Environment was the number one concern among children*, there were now at least 100 positive and easy actions kids could take to help reduce their environmental footprint.
"Whether it's turning off computers and lights or sometimes walking to school, True Green Kids shows that we all have a role to play. While Governments and industry are moving ahead to forge structural change, the community has to keep the pressure on and there is no better place to start than with kids encouraging their families and their schools," Peter Garrett said.
Mr Garrett also said that he was pleased to see the commitment of Gordon West Public School, which is implementing an environmental management plan and praised the students who had participated in creating True Green Kids. The Minister was joined by Clean Up Australia's Chairman, Ian Kiernan, AO in saluting the children and teacher's of Gordon West for their efforts.
"These kids are Australia's future and they can help change the community's behaviour. During the past 20 years that we've been doing Clean Up I've seen how kids really grasp issues like how important it is to recycle and how concerned they are for their environmental future," Kiernan said.
The book's authors, Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin, (True Green Kids is the third book in the successful True Green series) said that they created True Green Kids to provide practical and positive information to kids about what they could do.
"We weren't surprised to find that the environment is the number one issue of concern among Australian kids*. We're fortunate to live in a country where the natural environment plays a central role in daily life and we hope True Green Kids will provide practical and accessible tips for everyone to use," said Kim McKay, who is also the co-founder of Clean Up.
"As a mother of two children and two more in my extended family, I know how important it is for kids to be ‘hands on' involved and how they can influence their parents buying habits and household behaviours," said Jenny Bonnin, who is also on the board of Clean Up Australia.
At the launch, Gordon West Public School announced its new School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) which focuses on four key areas of resource use and one supporting the natural environment.
Gordon West Public's Principal, Jim Huckerby said that the teaching staff, parents and the children were already engaged in a range of activities in support of the environment but that the SEMP would help drive these programs even further.
"We're focusing on energy and water consumption, paper products and recycling, purchasing and procuring for sustainability and waste management along with Bushcare and the natural environment," he said.
"We're also proud to announce the inauguration of our student environmental action group where students in Years 3 & 4 will be selected to represent the Gordon West "Eco Roos". The Eco Roos is the title that the students recently voted as the name for this exciting new initiative," Jim Huckerby said.
True Green Kids (ABC Books, $22.95) is available for sale from all leading bookstores and from the ABC's website: www.shop.abc.net.au or 1300 360 150.
Teacher's notes to accompany True Green Kids will be available for free download from www.betruegreen.com The authors donate a portion of proceeds from the True Green books to Clean Up Australia.
*ABC Behind the News Survey Report - February 2007: Conducted by Professor Colin MacMullin, Dean International, School of Education, Flinders University, SA
Survey asked children: "what do you and others your age worry about?"
Concerns about the environment and their friends or family dying were ranked equally as the average top worries of children in 2006 (aged 7-16 years).http://www.abc.net.au/tv/btn/stories/s2034725.htm
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Jackie Evans - 02 9808 3117 or 0407 776 222 or jep.pub@bigpond.net.au
Click here to download the Clean Up Australia Schools Kids Climate Kit - a great educational resource for children learning about Climate Change and the environment.
Click here to go to the Kids activities and information area of the Clean Up Australia website.