The World in Our Hands: Protecting the Planet
Twelve-year-old Alice Abassah from Africa cares about the environment. She recently started a clean-up program in her home town of Accra, in the country of Ghana. “I was inspired by my teacher to go around once a week and collect litter,” Alice told Weekly Reader®. “When my friends and neighbors saw me, they joined me.”
Alice is one of 450 students from 50 countries around the world who gathered to help care for the planet. The students attended the 2004 International Children's Conference on the Environment held in New London, Connecticut.
United Nations
During their weeklong conference, the delegates, or students who represent their countries, took part in workshops, discussions, and field trips. The United Nations helped to arrange the conference. The United Nations is an organization made up of countries around the world. Its members work for world peace and to solve worldwide problems such as pollution and other environmental concerns.
Delegates Speak Out
At the conference, delegates challenged world leaders to help them protect the environment. They asked leaders to enforce laws that conserve, or save, natural resources such as trees, air, and water.
In their own schools and communities, these delegates all take part in environmental projects. Many of the children shared their projects and ideas at the conference.
A group of boys from India, called the Little Eco Friends, put on a play and talked about the ways people can help the environment—from planting trees to protecting wildlife.
It's a Small World!
The conference also provided children with the chance to learn about different cultures and to make international friends. A person's culture is his or her way of life, ideas, and traditions.
Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzalez from Colombia, a country in South America, said, “You get to know people who speak different languages.” Amanda Loewy, 11, from Massachusetts, had a blast! “I met kids from Japan, Taiwan, Uganda, Canada, Australia, and many other places,” she told Weekly Reader®. “I heard about the environmental issues that kids are facing all over the world. We talked about what we are doing to help the environment. I also made lots of good friends.”