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First-of-Its-Kind Report, 'Growing Up Green,' Explores Children's Actions and Attitudes on Protecting the Environment

Posted on: Thursday, 16 April 2009, 14:00 CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report shows that children believe they have a critical role in protecting the environment for future generations, that they are already leading the way to make their own homes "greener," and that they think the government, the private sector, schools and popular culture need to do more to promote conservation and sustainability.

The report, a unique window into a broader national trend, includes an unprecedented survey of more than 140 students (nearly all of them ages 11 or 12) at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa -- what the report calls The children answered more than 40 questions that offer insight into the role environmental conservation and sustainability play in young people's lives, and they wrote essays explaining what they think it will take to protect the environment, who should lead the charge, and why it matters.

"They are no ordinary children. The students attend a remarkably green school, in a school district with particularly innovative green policies, in one of the greenest cities in the nation," the report says. "Their experience is almost certainly not representative of all youth in the country. By finding out how these children live and think, we don't learn what all youth think -- we learn how young people nationwide can become more engaged in protecting the environment and what government entities, schools and communities can do to make it possible."

The survey found that the children are keenly aware of what's being done in their homes, their school and their community to protect the environment. The majority of the students have changed something about their daily routine in order to help the environment, such as the length of time they shower or whether they leave the water running while brushing their teeth. Many of them said they push their parents to do more to help the environment, such as turning off the car when it's idling, riding a bike to work, and not adjusting the thermostat when it's too warm or too cool. The children rank themselves first when asked who should take responsibility to protect the environment in the future, but they also see a role for the government (though many of them see only a limited role) and for businesses, schools, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations.

Specific findings in the report include:

• More than 52% of the students said they regularly suggest ways their family can limit its environmental impact. More than 22% of the students said they are the person in their house who primarily thinks about these things.
• More than 67% of the students said they turn the water faucet off when brushing their teeth. Fully 45% of the students said they have intentionally decreased the amount of time they spend in the shower in order to conserve water.
• Fully 53% of the students said that environmental issues have been a focus of the curriculum in at least one of their classes.
• When asked why their school has been effective in advancing environmental issues, more than 48% of the students cited interest and participation of the youth at the school. More than 61% cited tangible applications of the school's commitment -- campus policies and practices, as well as curriculum and lesson plans that include these issues.
• More than 21% of the students said they know someone in Des Moines who lives in a "green home" (a home built with conservation and sustainability in mind), and more than 35% said they know people in Des Moines who have taken serious steps to limit their environmental impact.

The report also includes recommendations, drawn from essays the children wrote about what they think people could learn from their school and their lives -- and what they think it will take to encourage more environmental conservation and sustainability nationwide. The recommendations include:

• The students generally agreed that the local, state and federal government has a role to play, though they were split on whether it's through legislation or encouraging the public to be more environmentally conscious.
• Many of the students said that individuals need to take simple steps in their own lives to protect natural resources.
• The students identified a need to raise public awareness of the problems and also to make more of the public understand how they can help.
• The students generally believe that involving more youth in environmental issues will make an impact in the future.
• Many of the students said government leaders and businesses should find new and different ways to protect the environment.

The report includes background on environmental initiatives at the Des Moines Public Schools and in the city of Des Moines, as well as a full breakdown of the survey and extensive quotes from the students' essays. For the full report, go to http://tinyurl.com/cs2mqr; for just the Executive Summary and excerpts from the students' essays, go to http://tinyurl.com/c9gy87.

SOURCE Greater Des Moines Partnership

Source: PR Newswire

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