Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time. Our society’s addiction to fossil fuels is messing with the perfect balance of nature and threatening the survival of our generation. It needs to stop, and we will not sit idly by as our leaders make decisions that affect our future.

So on May 8, we will march. The youth will rise up in our communities and let the world know that climate change is not about money. It’s not about politics. It’s not about convenience. It is about our survival. It’s about the future of this and every generation to come. And we are ready to do whatever it takes to change it.

There will be marches in cities all over the world, everywhere from New York to New Delhi to Canton, Georgia to Mexico City. And we need you to march with us.

We are looking for march organizers in cities all across the world. You don’t need to have any experience in organizing — all you need is passion, commitment, and a desire to change the world.

Sign up at iMatterMarch.org to lead a march in your community.

We matter. This is our time.

Watch this video to learn more.

I’ve got some exciting news to share: Former Vice President Al Gore will be delivering the opening keynote at Power Shift 2011. So what is Power Shift?

This spring thousands of young people will converge in Washington, DC for Power Shift 2011. We’ll come together to create a vision to take our movement forward, learn from and train one-another on campaigns and tactics, and take bold action to create a clean energy economy.

I attended Power Shift in 2007 and 2009 and was amazed by the energy in the crowd. The conference starts in three weeks — click here to register now.

In addition to Alliance for Climate Protection Chairman Al Gore, Power Shift has several other impressive speakers lined up, including EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Bill McKibben and Van Jones.

Will you be attending Power Shift to see Vice President Gore’s speech? We hope to see you there.

ACE is an awesome organization, and a partner of Inconvenient Youth. They give free multimedia assemblies to high schools across the country about the climate crisis and what we can do to stop it. The assemblies are fun, informative and inspiring. Check out this article to learn more about them and find out where the cow farts come in.

Not only is this an assembly like you’ve never seen before, but after they’re done, ACE educators are happy to stick around and help students find ways to take action. ACE helps students set up climate change activist groups in their schools, and has suggestions for all sorts of ways that you can “lower your emissions and raise your voice.”

Another great way to get involved with ACE is to “share your DOT.” DOT stands for “Do One Thing.” The idea is very similar to what we do at IY and Repower at Home: You share an action you’re taking to help our climate. Some examples are to drive less, unplug appliances when you aren’t using them, and carry reusable bottles. Every bit helps, and if we all make small changes it makes a huge difference. Inconvenient Youth and ACE encourage everyone to start by doing one thing to help our climate and to record it by sharing it with your peers.

We know teens like you are doing great work all around the country. So, what are you waiting for? Set up a presentation from ACE at your school; or set up an Inconvenient Youth presentation through The Climate Project.

- Grant

Today’s youth will be affected by climate change more than any other generation alive. Fortunately, though, young people are among the most passionate and active people anywhere dedicated to solving the climate crisis. Case in point: Inconvenient Youth, a youth program of the Alliance for Climate Protection.

Inconvenient Youth is a community of high school-aged teenagers who are leading our society to a clean energy future. Hundreds of teens from over 50 countries, have joined in the fight against climate change and used the program’s website — www.inconvenientyouth.org — to learn more about the climate crisis, share the actions they are taking, and connect with other teen leaders.

Former Vice President Al Gore, Chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection, helped Mary Doerr (only 16 years old at the time) found Inconvenient Youth in 2008. Vice President Gore said this about the program:

“Inconvenient Youth is built on the belief that teens can help lead efforts to solve the climate crisis. It will give this generation – which has a unique stake in this issue – a chance to organize and exchange ideas with other young people who want to do their part to address the climate crisis. Perhaps most importantly, this initiative was inspired by youth and shaped by youth with their unique viewpoint guiding it forward.”

Inconvenient Youth gives teens a platform to make their voice heard and take the lead in solving the climate crisis. Led by its all-youth Advisory Board, this amazing group of teens have risen to the challenge. By helping teens join together and taking action, Inconvenient Youth is proving that the solution to the climate crisis is within our reach.

Click here for more information on how to join us. Be Inconvenient!

Last fall, I attended a concert and environmental expo in New Jersey. Long time activist, folk singer Pete Seeger attended, along with Rep. Steve Rothman (NJ-9) who also participated. At the environmental expo, there were booths from organizations that are related to the wetlands such as the Hackensack River Keeper, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Audubon, and the organization that I am affiliated with, the Rutherford Green Team.

Keep up the great work Khushali!

Matthew Evans, a member of the Inconvenient Youth Advisory Board and founder of Discover Green – a non-profit in Pflugerville, Texas – recently won $40,000 from the JCPenney Cares campaign. The 17-year-old took third place in the community service and essay competition, beating out 800 essays to make it to the final round. Matthew’s money is divided between a $20,000 college scholarship and $20,000 that he can donate to the charity of his choice.

“I got involved with the JCPenney Cares contest through 4-H,” Evans said. “My grandmother in Ohio also suggested I submit my 250 words. So, I did.”

For his essay about community service, Matthew wrote about his work with Discover Green, the environmental non-profit organization that he founded in the greater Austin area.

“Discover Green came to be as a result of several successes and failures as a teen who wanted to do community service. I started a Kids Care Club when I was 11 and from 13 to 15 years old I tried to find various projects that we as a club could do without being 18,” Evans explained.

In August 2008 Matthew held his first “Teen Green Party with a Purpose” in conjunction with his birthday. Teens in his club came together to celebrate, learn about climate and environmental issues, eat local, organic food, and plant trees in Matthew’s hometown of Pflugerville. Since then, Discover Green has held over 200 events, 50 Teen Green Parties with a Purpose, engaged 1,100 local youth to provide 3,800 community service hours, and has been recognized by national and local organizations including Keep America Beautiful and the US Green Building Council.

With the half of his winnings to go to the charity of his choice, Matthew will continue his work with Discover Green. “With the JCPcares grant, Discover Green will be supporting the eco-inspiration coach training while going green by doing the training through international ‘webinars.’ We are also excited to support start-up events with this money. We also have plans to work with early childhood programs on a ‘Sapling Party with a Purpose’ and with youth who have deployed parents through an ‘Old Oak Tree’ project,” Evans said.

“I believe that youth can make a difference and that it is best to do the project and then reflect and eat food. This creates a sense of community and fun, and that is the basis of Discover Green.”

Congratulations Matthew!

- Grant

Awesome news! We won an award for our website! The full story is below, but I wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU! IY is a community, both on and off the web, and it’s you, our members, who make us what we are. So, thanks — we couldn’t have won without you!

The story:

Inconvenient Youth Wins International Web Award

Inconvenient Youth (IY) has won a Silver W3 Award for its interactive environmental awareness website, http://www.inconvenientyouth.org. IY aims to engage youth in proactive and educational activities to confront the harmful effects of climate change. Inconvenient Youth is an online forum where visitors can create user profiles and share their ideas and actions.

The Silver W3 Award winning website, built by Nashville’s MMA Creative, was created to encourage youth to participate in the global climate change conversation. Users can post ideas and share stories about how they are getting involved in the movement.

The W3 Awards honor creative excellence on the web. Now in its fifth year, the W3 Awards received over 3,000 entries. The entries, submitted by companies all over the world, are judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts and are scored on a 10-point scale. Winners receive Gold, Silver or Best in Show awards.

- Grant

In the physical exhibition, visitors journey from space to Earth on an urgent mission to thwart climate change by discovering exciting clean energy opportunities and solutions. With Bill Nye the ‘Climate Guy’ as commander of the Clean Energy Space Station, visitors will explore the science of climate change, meet scientists, consider new ideas and express their opinions.

Besides touring the exhibit, Inconvenient Youth was part of the opening day, running a ‘Green Pledge’ table in the Action Lab. I was joined by IY’s own Jordan Fowler, Aitan Grossman and Axel Clavier, who helped encourage visitors to make a pledge to help the climate by lowering their carbon footprint in one of 5 easy ways. We had a great turnout with lots of pledges.

Want to learn more about Bill Nye’s Climate Lab? Watch this video!

Go to Bill Nye’s Climate Lab, learn more about climate change and make your own green pledge today!

- Grant

The summer of my freshman year of high school, I volunteered at the California Science Center “Cool Globes” exhibit.  My job was to provide information and tours to elementary school students who were on field trips to the exhibit. However, I quickly began to notice that the majority of the kids who passed through the exhibit had very little environmental literacy.  Therefore, I began a program called The GreenTeens to begin to fulfill my community’s needs.

The GreenTeens provide environmental education for elementary school students in Los Angeles schools. Through a curriculum created and taught by students for students, the GreenTeens promote environmental literacy, inspire students to take action, make behavioral changes, and become green leaders in their communities. Additionally, GreenTeens work with schools to initiate school-wide environmental campaigns relevant to each school community’s needs.  Watch us in action in this video: The GreenTeens at work

Just last spring, The GreenTeens won a grant of $2,500 from the Alliance for Climate Education to fund the project, making the program available to schools for free.  Now, the GreenTeens are in action!  We are currently visiting 3rd Street School and will start the program next week at Vine Street Elementary!

Already, the effect we are having on these kids is visible. The other day, for example, a girl who was participating in the program told me about how she and her mom went to the grocery store. As the mom was reaching for plastic bags, the girl stopped her and informed her that they could take the groceries home in the canvas bag she had made that day during the GreenTeens program! Not only are we affecting how these kids think, but they also affect their families, and ultimately, their communities, in one big multiplier effect.

One of the GreenTeens’ major goals is to expand the volunteer aspect of the program to other high schools to not only increase environmental literacy across multiple communities, but also to empower teens to take action by providing leadership opportunities for them within the green movement.

We provide a detailed curriculum, set-up steps, timelines, and lots of advice to each branch!

If you are interested in starting a GreenTeens branch at your own school, please
email volunteer@thegreenteens.org to request more information or request a Branch Application.

Honestly, anything is possible with effort.  You can impact people, you can impact the world, and it starts by raising your voice and taking action.

Join the GreenTeens, raise your voice, and help your community raise theirs!

Alexa Boghosian
Founder/President of The GreenTeens

More than 200 children attended the conference (70 Foreign Delegates and 136 Japanese Delegates) from 35 countries, and the continents of Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa.

Activities included field trips to observe how Japanese people harmonize their lifestyle with nature by planting trees and learning about biodiversity and climate. Delegates also made a biodiversity world map and exchanged information on the problems their countries faced, and shared opinions and solutions in regard to biodiversity conservation.

“It was a great honor for me to represent delegates and present the results of the biodiversity world map in front of Japanese government officers, UNEP officers, VIPs and invited students at the conference. I made a lot of friends with other delegates who have the same concerns about the environment all over the world,” said Adeline.

- From the The Climate Project’s Newsletter. Sign up here.