Education, youth, and the environment. Those are my passions. And now I have united them all with The Schoolbag. I have never been more excited or enthusiastic about an idea in my life… and I am ready to share a bit about it with all of you.

It all began with a trip I took to Haiti in March. After spending fifteen days working at the acute care hospital in Port-au-Prince and witnessing the physical and emotional devastation of the earthquake throughout Haiti’s capital city and countryside, what stood out most to my eighteen-year-old self was the desperate need for education. While many children were not in school prior to the earthquake, largely due to financial burden, of those who were fortunate enough to attend classes prior to January 12th, very few had returned to school. With buildings collapsed, homes in rubble, family members and loved ones lost, and jobs eradicated, young people have nowhere to pursue an education. Without a destination, dozens of young children (relatives of patients) spent hours at the hospital kids’ tent day after day. Many unemployed teachers worked as translators in the hospital; Sam was the overnight translator in the pediatrics tent. He told me how he longed to return to the classroom and challenge the minds of students, but lacked the resources and materials with which to execute any such plan. There exists a pressing need for school supplies and educational materials in order to begin this process to allow children to resume their studies and grow intellectually.

When I returned home, I could not stop thinking about this… and The Schoolbag was born in my mind. What is it? Literally, it’s a tote bag (organic cotton canvas, of course) full of school supplies (eco-sustainable… I have a theme here), but it so so much more as an organization.

Here is how I sum it up. The Schoolbag enables children to pursue an education by providing basic school supplies to young people in need. Raising awareness about the lack of access to education around the world, each bag contains adequate materials for one student to learn for one year. The Schoolbag features environmentally sustainable and ethically produced tools and materials to initiate environmental education. Lack of access to, or availability of, satisfactory school supplies and materials prohibits many children from learning. Acquisition of knowledge is the first step on the path to global sustainability, prosperity, and world peace; innovation and progress stem from education, a universal right. The Schoolbag allows students to further their studies, particularly those living in disaster or conflict-stricken areas or chronic poverty.

I am piloting the program in Haiti, an extraordinary country that I have become quite attached to with my two recent visits. I just returned from three weeks in the earthquake-ravished country, conducting field research, gathering information, and assessing educational needs as it related to The Schoolbag. In concert with the Ministry of Education, Department of the Ouest (government of Western Haiti region), UNICEF, and other NGOs with ground presence, my friend Kristy (official Schoolbag representative from Australia) and I visited reopened elementary and secondary schools, orphanages, and pediatric wards of hospitals; met with dozens of teachers and educators to identify priorities and receive feedback on The Schoolbag components; documented the French education system which is followed throughout the country; and distributed hundreds of notebooks and pencils to students.

I want to plant the seeds of environmental consciousness from the start. In addition to containing environmentally responsible school supplies, every Schoolbag will contain a simple booklet to teach young people how to protect their environment. The educational tool, written in Creole and French for the kids in Haiti, will focus on steps students can take in their own lives and projects or actions they can bring home to their families. Printed on sustainable fibers, topics in the book will include conservation, efficiency, ecosystems, recycling, composting, agriculture, and more. Using nature as a teacher and one’s own lifestyle choices for exploration, I hope to inspire environmental stewardship and engagement among the youth. To have the opportunity to work with youth, even younger than myself, thrills and excites me!

These past couple of months, as The Schoolbag has come to life, have been more than I ever could have expected. The response to my little idea has been overwhelmingly positive. I feel that The Schoolbag can truly make a difference for these children and better equip them to lead Haiti towards a healthy, peaceful, stable, prosperous, and sustainable future. Education is where all change begins — and access to education must be universal. My goal is to allow the world to learn, sustainably.

More information available at theschoolbag.org, facebook.com/theschoolbag, twitter @theschoolbag.

I love to cook. I don’t mean like, or even really like, I mean cookbook obsessed, recipe-scribbling, culinary gadget-addict, cannot wait to get into the kitchen to spend hours preparing multi-course feasts pure unadulterated love. Yes, it is a huge part of my life. And I choose to work with organic, all-natural, wholesome ingredients that produce pure and nutritious dishes. Food must be good, not only in regard to taste, but good for your health and the environment!

So where to begin? In my opinion, the best inspiration for any meal is a farmer’s market. A Sunday-afternoon regular for years, I still marvel at the bounty of fresh, local, and seasonal offerings, especially this time of year. The variety of colors, shapes, and scents are enough to make anyone want to hit the kitchen, or at least munch as they wander the stalls!

Summer is the best season to highlight the beauty of these ingredients with simple, rustic preparations. Here’s one of my favorite creations that lets the raw vegetables shine. It is the perfect crisp and refreshing appetizer (that will please vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free folks too), fun salad alternative, or light afternoon snack! Little gem leaves (a small variety of romaine lettuce) act as an ideal edible container for this fresh take on a classic slaw. And talk about easy… it has only five ingredients, all of which you can buy fresh from the farmers market. These vegetables are based on my seasonal offerings in Northern California, but feel free to mix and match with whatever you find from local growers (or from your own garden!).

Recipe for Farm Fresh Salad “Shooters” (makes about twenty)

1 small head of red or green cabbage, whichever you prefer (or both!)
1 red onion
3 carrots
4-6 red radishes, depending on size
3 heads of little gem lettuce

Dressing 4 T rice wine vinegar 1 T lemon juice ¾ t oil 1 T honey A pinch of salt and pepper (white pepper jazzes it up!)

• Shred or slice all vegetables into thin strands. Toss into one bowl and mix.
• Mix all dressing ingredients together. Season to taste.
• Pour dressing over vegetables and toss lightly until coated as desired.
• Separate individual leaves of little gems and place firm large leaves on platter to fill.
• Take small handfuls (or use tongs if you would like) of the slaw and fill leaves.
• Eat up!

Fashion is fun and glamorous. But conventionally grown cotton is neither. Yes, cotton is indeed a crop – something that is easy to forget when worn woven into soft, colorful, and textured fabrics.

When Teens Turning Green began, we focused on cosmetics and personal care products. To showcase the fantastic green alternatives, we often held lifestyle runway shows, which meant we had to bring in ecofashion. And what a door that opened! I love discovering all of the designers that are now incorporating sustainable, ethical, recycled, repurposed, and organic fibers into their fashion, without sacrificing one bit of style. And organic cotton is at the top of the list in terms of global importance and impact.

I have found that people are more prone to make the connection between pesticides and food than pesticides and textile fibers, specifically cotton. Organic options are readily available in grocery markets, but not so easy to find in clothing stores.

And here’s why it matters…

The chemical usage for conventional cotton is off the charts! This fiber, such an integral part of daily life, demands:

• 25% of all insecticides used worldwide, more than any other single crop
• More than 10% of the world’s pesticides
• 1/3 of a pound of chemicals required per pound of cotton fiber (as many as 200 chemicals might be applied to a single plant in one season in the US!)

Growing cotton organically reduces costs, as there is no need to purchase the vast number of pesticides and insecticides and herbicides used in the conventional growing process. Mass amounts of pesticides applied to crops are also wasted due to poor machinery or improper application. Organic improves soil fertility and thus porosity (how “porous” the ground is; the amount of space through which water can pass), requiring less water overall. And you don’t have fiber that may contain residual chemicals pressed against your skin all day long. All good news!

Now, let’s talk health of people and the ecosystem. Pesticides, even when used “properly” or in accordance with instructions, are dangerous. Aerial spray drift and contamination of ground or surface water means that these pesticides can poison farm workers and neighboring populations, not to mention effects on animals, fish, birds, and micro-organisms. Poisoning, which often occurs from crop-dusting “accidents,” is a reality for agricultural workers, a threat which can prove fatal.

And the funny (or not-so-funny) thing is that “conventional” cotton is not conventional or traditional at all. Cotton was grown organically for 4,000 years, until the development and introduction of chemical fertilizers during World War II. So now pesticides are used. Bummer.

Organic cotton is looking like a pretty great alternative to me.

“When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the Dark Ages of commerce.   Maybe one thousandth of this aerial insecticide actually prevents the infestation.   The balance goes to the leaves, into the soil, into the water, into all forms of wildlife, into ourselves. What is good for the balance sheet is wasteful of resources and harmful to life.” Paul Hawken, Ecology of Commerce.

My entry point into the true depths of a green lifestyle came through cosmetics and personal care products. Much of the information that we used in the formation of Teens Turning Green (originally Teens for Safe Cosmetics) came, and continues to come, from the national Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. And right now, I am buzzing about one of their stellar resources. Last month, the campaign released, what I consider, a landmark film by Annie Leonard about these very toxins and what the industry and government need to do to regulate and protect human and environmental health, The Story of Cosmetics: The Ugly Truth of ‘Toxins In, Toxins Out.’ Leonard’s 2007 film The Story of Stuff, an eye-opening story of where our stuff comes from and where it goes when we throw it away, blew me away; it is nothing short of brilliant. And this seven-minute short on cosmetics is equally, if not more, powerful!

Leonard narrates the animated piece, asking questions from the point of view of an everyday consumer. In reference to her personal care products, she asks questions whose answers are unknown: “How does it do that?” “What is this stuff?” Chemicals linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, birth defects, asthma, and more make up ingredient lists, even in products targeted to babies and young children still in development. Describing the bathroom as a “minefield of toxic chemicals,” Leonard sheds light on how products directly affect consumer health, as well as that of workers and communities. The average woman uses twelve products daily and the average man six, each with a dozen or more chemicals — only 20% of which have been tested. The bottom line is that no one knows the effects of these products; there exists an enormous data gap. We are merely waiting to see the ramifications, a dangerous place to exist when babies are born pre-polluted and body toxicity levels are off the charts. I, like Annie Leonard, have been body burden tested — and it is startling what our bodies retain, the combined effect, the accumulation of exposures in our systems.

There are endless sources of toxins in our surroundings, including the products that fill the shelves of drugstores and cosmetics departments. So what are we to do? Lessen the burden on our bodies wherever possible. Buy products that have been tested for human health and safety, for they most certainly exist! If you are searching for brands that work, check out our Teens Turning Green’s list of Greener Alternatives.

But Annie traces the supply chain a step further. “What counts is when companies and government agencies decide what should be allowed on the shelves.” Currently, there exists no regulation on labeling or packaging; herbal, natural, organic lack any legal definition. Leonard celebrates this fact sarcastically, “I get to choose between meaningless claims on a bottle!” We must demand better of the manufacturers and government indeed.

Ever heard of pink-washing? Leonard uses the term in the film, “to describe the activities of companies and groups that position themselves as leaders in the struggle to eradicate breast cancer (often labeling products with the iconic pink ribbon) while engaging in practices that may be contributing to rising rates of the disease. Not cool!” I always wonder why more time is not spent searching for a cause, rather than a cure. Start at the beginning! Why are the toxins in these products in the first place? That very “why” is at the root of these issues. The human health impacts have been forgotten, sacrificed for modernization and the so-called “better living through chemistry” that has taken root in the last fifty years; this must change.

The FDA does not regulate the beauty industry; no one looks out for human health as it relates to daily use products. Ingredient disclosure on labels is not required and, out of the 12,000 ingredients used in cosmetics and personal care products, only 8 have been banned in the US, drastically lower than the number of bans in the EU. The beauty industry now self-regulates and requires only voluntary compliance… hmmm. As Leonard states, “it’s a whole broken system that’s ignoring the simple rule Toxics In, Toxics Out.’ I could not agree more!

Alright, so what can we do now? Demand that the federal government pass laws to ensure our safety. Leonard sums up the need perfectly: “common sense laws based on the precautionary principle.” Therefore, we can be certain that the products stocking store shelves are safe for human usage. And it very much is possible to be “clean and shiny without toxic chemicals!” Green chemistry is doing its part to formulate products that are safe and non toxic. If organic industry leaders have been manufacturing responsibly for years and major companies have figured out how to comply with stricter regulations in the EU, they can certainly do the same for the masses in the US.We, as consumers, must purchase the safest and healthiest products on the market AND pressure the federal government to pass legislation to ensure clean choices across the board.

The national Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has been instrumental in introducing numerous bills to eliminate toxins from the products we use 24/7… but that means going head-to-head with the multi-billion dollar beauty industry. We, Teens Turning Green, lobbied for The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 (SB 484) in California, which was signed in an unprecendented passage into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, and more. Now, the Campaign has a real opportunity to pass federal legislation that will protect OUR right to health. So make your voice heard and ask congress to get behind the Safe Cosmetics act 2010. Share this video and other resources to push for the change we need!

I was born in 1991. Yes, I am a child of the nineties. A millennial, a member of the internet generation, a digital native… but there’s one more crucial element. I’m a part of the green generation.

What does that mean to me?

I like to say I grew up green – in a little eco bubble. When my mom was pregnant with me, she read a book called Diet for a Poisoned Planet that changed our lives (including my prenatal self). My dad went to work one day, came home, and the entire house was “organicized.” Everything was replaced with a truly natural alternative from organic food to toxin-free cleaning products to glass containers and much much more. That is the world into which I was born and raised. My mom instilled in me a belief that anything can be approached from a more environmentally responsible standpoint, a thoughtful mindset. It may be a bit over-cautious at times, but that works for me; I like to live by a precautionary principle: why risk my health and well-being when I don’t have to? I make a conscious effort to reduce the burden on my body wherever I can. Nowadays, it’s so simple to “live green” with the plethora of fantastic green alternatives on the market (and fabulous educational resources – like this one right here!).

Growing up, my eco-lifestyle included local produce from weekly farmers markets, carpooling, glass water bottles in place of plastic (pre-metal canteen craze), organic cotton sheets and towels, no VOC paints… and from there, it took off to encompass all I come in contact with and am surrounded by. But it’s not only me. It’s an entire generation growing up in this time of ecoRenaissance, as I like to call it (and the name of my blog).

Ultimately, it became Teens Turning Green, the campaign I co-founded in 2005. Studies were coming out linking the toxins in the cosmetics and personal care products I used 24/7 to cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm, neurotoxicity, and more. That is nothing I wanted near my body, particularly during puberty. There are so many risk factors and potentially hazardous exposures in the world that we, as individuals, cannot control, but TTG focuses on the choices that are within personal control. When information is available and alternatives are accessible, people begin to think critically and that prompts change. So we developed those consumer-ready easy-to-use resources. Beginning with cosmetics and personal care products, we compiled lists of the most commonly found egregious chemicals to AVOID (The Dirty Thirty) and safer and healthier brands to TRY which we vetted for safety, sustainability, and efficacy (Greener Alternatives).

Now a national non-profit organization, TTG is devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities. Our student-led movement seeks to promote global sustainability by identifying and eliminating toxic exposures that permeate our lives, often unknowingly, yet threaten public and environmental health. What began around my kitchen table now has a presence at numerous middle and high schools, universities, and student organizations across the country, as well as a strong virtual platform and media presence. The TG chapters lead grassroots efforts that aim to raise awareness and work to lessen local and global impact.

The lifestyle component includes cosmetics and personal care products (formulations and packaging), fashion (organic / sustainable fibers and manufacturing processes), home (building materials, energy, bedding / linens, etc.), among many other aspects of daily life. We believe that conscious consumption is critical and has the power to shift mass markets. Our work with schools uses the campus as a palette for exploration through a process of inventory, case study analysis, and identification of greener alternatives in four main categories: landscape, janitorial, food service, and classroom products. The community piece of the campaign allows for grassroots efforts and formation of coalitions around area-specific issues that threaten human and environmental health, examples of which include protesting a proposed aerial spray, pushing for a single use bag ban, water testing, mapping county-wide health trends, removing invasive species, etc.

I have witnessed firsthand the power of young people around these issues – and see a real need to focus energy around personal responsibility and individual local actions: think globally, act locally. It is vital to demonstrate how accessible sustainability is to everyone, for there are near innumerable entry points. We have experienced incredibly positive public response to simple educational resources. Any and all progress is rooted in education, particularly of youth, and communication; when information is available and alternatives are accessible, people think critically and initiate change.

Advocacy is another vital aspect of our campaign, lobbying for legislative and policy change that protects human and environmental health, as well as partnerships with companies to urge and ensure corporate responsibility. We must challenge large entities to consider not only pure formulation and full ingredient disclosure, but also responsible sourcing of ingredients, business practices that respect the earth, fair trade labor policies, human and animal rights, community empowerment projects, sustainable packaging (post-consumer waste, biocompostable, etc.), renewable energy, and incorporation of a Cradle-to-Cradle approach towards an endless cycle without waste.

All of my work furthers a (not-so-simple) personal mission: to inspire a generation of conscious citizens and bring about global health for the environment and its inhabitants.