Kids for Earth

the Billy the plastic bag video is on air on astro TVIQ!

Watch this space …. we’ll up load it soon here !

Astro TVIQ organised a workshop in SK Sri Petaling and made plans for Kids For Earth to present our Billy the Plastic Bag presentation. Isaac, Gautam, our newest member Idris and myself, stayed the whole morning and took part in some of the activities. At the end of the workshop, the members of Kids For Earth judged sketches of why not to use plastic bags and how to ban them. We all learnt about how a proper workshop should be run and this gave us some ideas for future workshops.

Issac Lee, Raphaelle Tseng, Idris Bin Azim, Gautam Jethwani

After surgery, surgeons have two options for closing the incision: biodegradable stitches or metal staples. The stitches make for a better-looking scar and don’t have to be removed later, but with them it takes longer to sew up a patient, increasing the risk of infection or complications under the anesthesia.

Private medical-instrument maker Incisive Surgical has designed a device that it calls a skin stapler, but I’d say it’s closer to a handheld sewing machine. The device grabs skin from both sides of the incision and inserts a biodegradable staple through both flaps of skin.

Grade 4 listening to Raphaelle's presentation

ISKL had their ‘Green’ week from the 19^th to the 23^rd April. To kick-start the week, they asked Kids For Earth to come and do the Billy the Plastic Bag Presentation for the Grade 4’s or Year 5. The 6 classes added up to about 120 kids. We asked them to design a poster for the competition and their response was quite enthusiastic so we are hoping to get some pretty good posters.

The dead line is May 14^th and Poster need to be handed back to Mr Ward.

The 3 winners will get a Billy the plastic bag book and a cotton bag! 

On Thursday 15th April, Raphaelle and I were interviewed by the Business FM radio station. It was a nerve racking experience, and we stumbled through the questions, but it was loads of fun as well.

We discussed how Kids for Earth was founded, and what future plans we have for Kids for Earth.

I’ll post the podcast of the interview as soon as I get it.

Thanks to Patrick, who interviewed us.

Are environmental messages lost on the younger generation? Do they take calls to “go green” seriously? Do they recycle, say no to plastic bags, or are they ardent eco-warriors? CHAI MEI LING finds out that many know a lot and are doing their bit to preserve the environment

THEY formed a green group, sold their ideas to a satellite television provider and inked a deal to produce environmental messages for the media. And they are not even out of primary school.

Six children, united by their love for the nature, launched a mission to discourage the use of plastic bags last year.

One of the first things they did was to come up with a simple story detailing the journey of plastic bags, including how they could end up in oceans, killing marine life.

Looking to spread the message of reduced use to as many people as possible, they approached Astro TVIQ, which immediately snapped up the idea, resulting in the creation of a public service announcement video titled “Billy the Plastic Bag”.

In conjunction with Earth Day this April 22, the channel has launched a campaign called “Kids Go Green”, featuring a line-up of on-air content and on-ground workshops to educate children on the importance of environmental conservation and inspire them to do more for the environment.

“Billy the Plastic Bag” will make its rounds during the campaign period.

The children’s original drawings were mostly retained in the finished product, making the animation something other kids can easily relate to.

At a recent press briefing, two of the group members, Isaac Lee Jie Ruen and Gautam Jethwani, narrated the presentation, a feat they had carried out before hundreds of students in their respective schools, SK Sri Hartamas and Garden International School.

Lee said what sparked off the whole idea to deliver green messages was the realisation that rubbish is detrimental to wildlife.

“Gabriel, the founder of our group, showed us a YouTube video about birds dying in Hawaii. Bottle caps, plastic forks, golf balls, toys and lighters were found in their stomach.

“From this, we got the idea to reduce the use of plastic bags, so that less would end up harming the environment,” said Lee, 12.

“It’s actually quite hard to do that because sometimes we forget, but it helps if we put reusable grocery bags in the car or handbag,” added Gautam, also 12.

Astro TVIQ manager Sharifah Noraidah said the group’s enthusiasm was reflective of the campaign’s spirit.
“This is very commendable of them — they came to us, presented the idea to us to see if we can make it bigger. These young environmentalists may be small but they have big ideas. You’ll be inspired listening to them, this message coming from kids to adults,” she said.

“The simplicity of the message is there — start small but be counted.”

The Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) president, Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh, said parents were strong agents of change.

“Children learn from them and emulate their behaviour and beliefs.”

Because of this critical link and because future generations need to be even more disciplined in their consumption of shrinking natural resources, Tap advised parents to adopt greener practices and inculcate them into their children.

“When our children grow up, they will make decisions critical to their future — whether to cut down trees or whether the environment-friendly development should proceed. You decide.”

He said while Malaysia was blessed with a wealth of natural resources, its people were wasteful.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/30env/Article/index_html