Education

It's never too soon to start sharing what you've learned with other people. Here are some great ideas for not only learning about local environmental issues, but also getting the word out.

If you like working with kids

• Research a local environmental topic.
• Use the information you learn to create a series of activities that teachers in your school district can use with their students.
• Survey the participating teachers and students before and after the activities to determine whether they were effective.

If you like surfing the web

• Create a website where other teens, younger students, or people of all ages can find useful information about conservation.
• Get sponsors who are “earth-friendly” to support your site.
• Advertise your website.

If what you really want to do is direct

• Create and organize a theatre production with an environmental theme.
• Present the production to a school, local nursing home, religious congregation, etc.

If you like to see it on paper

• Research the connection between paper production, recycling, and conservation.
• Set up paper recycling stations with clear instructions for what is acceptable.
• Use the collected paper to make your own recycled paper (it’s not that hard!).
• Package the paper in attractive packets with information on recycling.
• Donate the paper to a local organization, nursing home, homeless shelter, etc. or sell the paper and donate the funds to an environmental charity.

If you’re a good listener

• Survey or interview community members about their attitudes and behaviors toward an environmental issue such as endangered species protection, recycling, composting, etc.
• Compile and analyze data by creating visual aids such as charts and graphs.
• Prepare individual reports for participants or present data to appropriate school officials, local authorities, or community organizations.

If you want to be a green Citizen Kane

• Create an intergenerational, school based, or community newsletter every month, two months, season, etc.
• Research breaking news in conservation, conduct interviews, cover local events and meetings, and more.

If you’re into energy

• Research the connection between energy use and conservation.
• Calculate the energy used to provide lighting, heat, etc. in your school and determine the possibility of replacing bulbs, fixtures, etc. with more efficient, cost-effective units.
• Conduct a transportation survey, calculate CO2 emissions, and distribute the data along with travel tips to parents and students.

If you’re a social butterfly

• Organize an environmental day for other teens (e.g. a series of workshops given by scientists, naturalists, teachers, etc. to discuss local environmental issues, conservation careers, etc.).
• Start a letter-writing campaign at your school, community center, or at a fair or event. Provide important statistics and facts, sentence prompts, and addressed envelopes or postcards for people to quickly and effectively write to officials about the topic(s).
• Start a youth club at your school or through a community-sponsored organization.

If you love vacation days

• Gather information on community members’ recent or planned vacations.
• Research activities or imported sale items that are destructive to the native environment.
• Present ecotourism findings to travel agencies, travelers, etc.

Want to look at some others?

Check out our Animal Project Ideas, Water Project Ideas, and Habitat Projects.