Nearly one hundred students and teachers from throughout L.A.County schools gathered at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden to participate in a new
Teen Action Program launched through Generation Earth, an environmental education program of the County of Los Angeles.
The "Back-To-School Youth Forum" hosted students from middle schools and high school eco-clubs for this one-day conference, which introduced a sampling of interactive eco-activities and model projects designed to assist students in spearheading environmental projects on their campus or in their community.
The forum engaged students in a variety of fun activities that included an e-waste game show that quizzed kids about their knowledge of electronic waste or e-waste, a waste audit that helped students identify recyclables, and a water destination relay that informed students about what happens to indoor and outdoor water use before it gets to the ocean.
The forum also provided student eco-clubs with various opportunities to share their existing recycling programs with the audience."I have been a member of 'Eco Freaks' for four years," said Melissa Lopez, a senior at NorthHollywoodHigh School."We came to the Generation Earth youth forum because we want to inform everyone about the different things that they can do to get recycling programs started in their school or community," added Lopez.In addition to the activities, Generation Earth introduced new teen publications and presented resources designed to inspire youth to make a difference.
Generation Earth is an environmental education program of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and is presented by TreePeople.The program works to educate and empower secondary students in Los AngelesCounty to take an active part in solving environmental concerns in their community through free resources, curriculum, and workshops.
For more information contact Loyda Ramos, Teen Program Coordinator at 818.623.4856 or at lramos@treepeople.org.