“I now want to make a difference just like you.”

When I was in school, one of my favorite activities was hearing Guest Speakers talk about their work and their careers. But what made the biggest impact on me was realizing that they were just flesh and blood. They were “human.” Seeing them in person was inspiring because it made me think — “If they can do it, I can do it.”

On April 27th, I spoke to the students in Grades 3 and 6 at St. Clement’s School (a private girls’ school in Toronto). I read them some of my stories about taking action for the environment, and asked the girls, “What’s the hardest thing you could do for the planet? Is it changing a light bulb? Or is there something more ambitious you could do that would make a difference in your life?”

My call-to-action for the girls was “Listen to your Green Conscience” and then “Do something green and tell everyone about it — using stories, songs and pictures.”

Strong Symbols Tell a Story
Did my message sink in? See for yourself… Below is the handmade “thank you” gift I received from the Grade 6 class. It’s a 4″ square book of drawings and hand-lettered type. The girls’ artwork communicates their messages simply and powerfully using colorful symbols (what I try to do in my own artwork). Their praise is wonderful and effusive — but what is really exciting is to hear the girls talk about their green conscience and their desire to do something more ambitious than changing light bulbs — and thus make a difference for the planet.

Because after all — if I can do it — they can do it — and so can you!

The ‘Thank You’ Book by Gr.6′s at St Clement’s

Now it’s YOUR turn. What’s the hardest thing you could do for the planet?

Do something green that is ambitious for you — and then tell everyone what you did. Send them an email, a photo, phone them — do whatever you want to document your green gift to the planet.

It only takes one person to inspire a chain reaction. Let me know what happens…

Credits: Drawings copyright the Grade Six girls at St. Clement’s School.
Photo of Franke James by Gustavo Escobedo, SCS
Project coordination and book assembly by Rosa Abbiento, Art teacher at St. Clement’s School

Well, last week I took the train to Belleville, Ontario to find out. I gave a Green Conscience Workshop to the Grade 10 Geoventure students at Moira High School (featured above).

Gayle Miller, the Geoventure teacher at Moira High School extended the invitation to me. I met Gayle last summer at a Climate Change Camp sponsored by the Ontario Teacher’s Federation where I was presenting.

This was my first time giving the workshop to high school students. (Previously I’ve given workshops to University students or adults.) I wondered whether 16-year olds would be able to hang in through the process of the Green Conscience Workshop. Would they have short attention spans? Would they have real concerns about the environment? How would they respond to the question, “What’s bothering your green conscience?” Well, the first step was to give them the Green Conscience Test and find out!

Thankfully they all passed the test — and like many people today, they had a myriad of environmental issues nagging away at them. But what to do? My strong recommendation to them (and to you) is to listen to your green conscience and then pick something challenging to tackle (I call it doing the hardest thing first). The artwork created in the workshop is just the first step towards taking action.

What’s Bothering the Students Green Consciences?

Below are some short video clips of students talking about what is bothering their green consciences. Take a minute and watch them. The students are quite remarkable.

Too Lazy to Compost

Too Many TV’s Left On

Consuming Too Much Stuff

Clearcutting in My Backyard

Creating Green Conscience artwork is a challenge. And the students did a magnificent job. Their artwork will be part of a display on living more sustainably at the Quinte Mall in June. I understand from Gayle that they will be interviewing people at the mall, and talking about their artwork.

And what did the teacher think?

We all made the local news!

Remarkably, Gayle even managed to get the local Belleville paper, The Intelligencer, to show up for the occasion! T.J. LeBlanc wrote, “Author talks green with Geoventure students.”

“James… spoke to students about how they can positively impact their environment by making big changes.

“Do the hardest thing first,” James said. “Society is asking people to change light bulbs, but that’s not enough. We have to do more than change light bulbs. I think if we ask people to do something more ambitious they will rise to that challenge.

James book, Bothered By My Green Conscience, is a compilation of visual essays describing how James and her family went green by first getting rid of their SUV.

“Do something green and document it,” she said. “In that way, we become change agents and we can spread the message further and we inspire other people.”

So now you’ve read all about the Grade 10 students in Belleville…

Let me ask YOU — What’s bothering your green conscience? And what you are going to do about it?

Being “change agents” starts with each one of us taking responsibility. And the funny thing is — doing something ambitious for the planet is actually great FUN!