Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth who are working to limit the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as a whole to make a difference for the planet.
This film is about a 9-year-old boy named Milo who goes on an international speaking tour to speak about his concern about the millions of plastic straws people use every day. He says, "It seems extremely wasteful to make a product that we will use for less than fifteen minutes, but will be here on Earth long after my own grandchildren are born." Watch how Milo used entrepreneurial thinking to create ways on limiting the use on plastic straws and improving our planet.
When he first started his journey, he was afraid that adults wouldn't listen to what he had to say. Milo's efforts lead him to being featured on local, national and international news. His project, Be Straw Free, strives to limit the use of disposable plastic straws.
Entrepreneurial Thinking Milo's entrepreneurial thinking allowed his efforts to be successful. Teach your students how to think more creatively by asking them questions and challenging their mind! What creative ideas did Milo have? What were his strategies? What do you think he could have done better? How would you limit the use of plastic straws? What were the challenges he faced? How do Milo's efforts align with the Sustainable Development Goals? Which goal would you help to achieve and how? Milo did more than just telling people to not use straws. He convinced them and changed their minds by using creative entrepreneurial thinking. He went straight to the source of how the straws were being distributed (i.e. restaurant owners, mayors and governors) and created his own project. For resources on teaching sustainability with your students, visit our free-to-use resources page here for endless activities and lesson ideas!
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Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth who are working to limit the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as a whole to make a difference for the planet.
In this film, four middle school students take the lead in greening their school. They came up with ways for the school to reduce their carbon footprint like switching to more sustainable classroom habits and even building a huge network of people to create a massive project with solar panels! Find out in the video below how they used entrepreneurial thinking to green their school and save over $30,000. These students made a huge impact and worked towards the Sustainable Development Goals by using creative entrepreneurial thinking. By incorporating entrepreneurial thinking into your lessons, you can to teach your students to think and act beyond the classroom!
Have a discussion with your class about how the four girls acted like entrepreneurs. Talk about how they thought outside the box, who they reached out to, the risks involved if any, and what they can do at home or at school to go green.
Greening your school all starts in the classroom. Use our free resources to get started on teaching sustainability to your students, while incorporating entrepreneurial thinking.
Don't forget to follow us on social media for teacher tips, ideas, updates, quizzes and much more! Instagram, Facebook and Twitter all @usfstavros.
 Check out these shocking NASA satellite images, which compare levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) before and after coronavirus lockdowns of some of the most polluting factories in the world. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nitrogen dioxide is of great concern due to the harmful effects on human health and the environment. What do you see in the images? Why do you think it happened? How can we solve this problem?  Recently, Forbes magazine reported on a study by a Stanford scientist, Earth Systems Professor Marshall Burke, who noted the coronavirus lockdown may have saved more lives from pollution and climate than from the virus, due to the drop in pollution in Wuhan, China. In particular, Burke measured levels of PM2.5, a tiny particulate matter, considered as a primary cause of death from air pollution. He estimated that the decrease in this particulate matter may have saved 77,000 lives. What are the connections between a healthy planet and healthy people?  In an article on EarthDay.org, authors Bullitt-Jonas and Schade discussed what the coronavirus pandemic can teach us about the interconnectedness of a healthy planet and healthy people. Consider this quote from the article: "The loss of habitat and biodiversity creates conditions for lethal new viruses and diseases like COVID-19 to spill into human communities. And if we continue to destroy our lands, we also deplete our resources and damage our agricultural systems." Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Leah D. Schade. Based on the quote, how does a healthy planet impact people and future economic prosperity?
So what can you do? Find out what your favorite brands are doing in terms of sustainability by visiting sites like GreenBiz or Sustainable Brands . Then use entrepreneurial thinking to find new solutions to problems that still exist. Citizens influence companies. For example, in the 1960's citizens acted on the environmental crisis, where air pollution in industrialized cities was as thick as pea soup and some rivers, like the Cuyahoga, were so polluted they caught on fire–not once, not twice, but more than a dozen times before something changed! Events like these, partnered with citizens who pressured government, resulted in the first Earth Day in 1970. According to EarthDay.org the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts were created in the United States of America. Using entrepreneurial thinking, the U.S. created change, not only locally, but globally, as many countries followed to develop similar environmental laws. Despite these changes, air pollution still creates many global deaths.  Scientists estimate that in the U.S. more than 100,000 die every year from air pollution. In China, where smog covers some heavily industrialized cities, scientists estimate that over one million people die prematurely per year from pollution. In fact, the World Health Organization data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that contains high levels of pollutants and estimate that air pollution kills 7 million people every year. What can concerned citizens do?
25 days 'til the 50th anniversary of Earth Day: What does Beauty and the Beast teach about charity?3/29/2020  On Sunday, March 29th Fox presented the iHeart Living Room Concert, where stars from around the world sang from their homes to inspire people to donate to charity in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. Being charitable in times of crisis can involve giving time, talents, or treasures. These individuals gave their time and talents to sing for a greater good. In addition, many of them gave their treasures to charity. Beauty and the Beast is a Disney film that illustrates what happens when someone learns to be charitable. Do you know why the prince turned into a beast? He refused to help a senior citizen by giving her shelter for the night in his giant castle! After Beauty used entrepreneurial thinking to create change in the Prince-turned-Beast, he evolved into a better version of himself.
Use entrepreneurial thinking to figure out how you can make the earth a more Beauty-ful place. Check out some of our resources and make Beauty-ful messages about the earth to share with others!  Will we run out of food is a question many people are asking during this COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the video below by CBC Kids News. What did you learn? Although we won't run out of food totally, many people struggle with hunger. According to the Tampa Bay Times, thousands of local children rely on free and reduced-price meals ; for many, it is the primary source of nutrition. In the areas served by the Tampa Bay Times, you can find out how Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas schools are helping these families. If you are in another district, search for your local newspaper online. So what can you do? Use creative entrepreneurial thinking to come up with some solutions. Check out what the Tampa Bay Times article to learn how to help local businesses and families. Then check out TheThomasPromise.org, a non-profit created by local Pasco student Brooke Thomas and her family. What is something you can do to help? Hunger is a global problem and Zero Hunger is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). One big question is how do we feed the people of the world while protecting the planet? Put on your entrepreneurial thinking cap and read the comic and article below to discover more about the goal. What can we do? Create your own poster, meme, or inspirational quote to share through social media.  
Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth who are working to limit the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as a whole to make a difference for the planet.
In this video, a group of high school students comes together to work on cleaning the oceans and eliminating the excessive plastic pollutants, especially plastic bags. Plastic bags are not only harming the ocean and its animals, but are also polluting the air through their production. The process uses high amounts of petroleum and energy, which affects global warming.
Watch the short film below, and discover how entrepreneurial thinking played a role in saving the oceans! The Marine Teens Lesson Idea
After showing the film to your students, provide them with questions to answer, keeping in mind the importance of entrepreneurial thinking.
Be sure to check out our resources page where you can find videos, activities, and lesson plans to aid in your teaching! 
Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth who are working to limit the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as whole to make a difference for the planet.
This film features an 11-year-old boy from Germany named Felix Finkbeiner who used was able to help plant over a billion trees in multiple countries. His movement came from his passion of combating the negative effects of climate change. When confronted with the challenge, he used entrepreneurial thinking to come up with an action plan. He was even able to change the minds of politicians to assist him in his journey! Watch the video to discover more about the successes of Felix.
A Lesson on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 
Felix was able to do so much for the world at just 11 years old! You can show this video to your students to inspire them that they can do the same. Turn this video into an activity by having your students come up with ideas on how they could help larger communities or the entire planet! You could also do a lesson on planting trees or gardening. Discuss how this is beneficial for the planet and have them plant a tree of their own!
Along with the lesson, teach your students about the SDGs. Felix was helping to achieve goal #13 Climate Action. Help your students use entrepreneurial thinking as they work towards this goal or any of the others!
Resources to use for this lesson
Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth in terms of limiting the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as whole to make a difference for the planet.
This film features three close friends that face the difficulties of combating climate change. These challenges include standing up to officials that disregard this phenomenon. The students were afraid to step up at first, but watching the films from Young Voices for the Planet inspired them to use entrepreneurial thinking to find a solution. What could they do? They decided to take on the challenge of convincing the officials at the town hall. Watch to find out if their plans worked. A Lesson on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 
These three brave girls did the right thing for the future of the planet, while at the same time, took into consideration the Sustainable Development Goals. They were helping to achieve goal #13 Climate Action. By showing this video to your students, you can inspire them and teach them that their voices and actions have worth.
Have your students create empowering speeches (like the girls did) or any kind of PSA regarding climate change or any other of the sustainable development goals. They can make posters, videos, or memes to get their message out there! Here are some resources to help guide you in teaching this topic! For more ideas on teaching your students sustainability topics, visit our resources page! 
Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth in terms of limiting the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as whole to make a difference for the planet.
This film features the incredible story of a thirteen-year-old girl named Jaysa Mellers, who suffered from a severe asthma attack when she was six. However, this wasn't due to an underlying heath issue, but instead a greater and more powerful entity.
Jaysa wasn't the only one. Many kids in her school had trouble breathing, and there were cabinets of asthma medications for the students. What could have caused a group of students in a specific location to all have asthma? Watch the video below to discover how Jaysa solved this mystery and used entrepreneurial thinking to lead the change to something incredible.
A Lesson on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 
Jaysa's story is very closely related to achieving the following SDGs: #3 Good Health and Well-being and #13 Climate Action.
This is the perfect video to show your students that they have the power to make a massive impact on a community. Turn this into a lesson with your students by having them brainstorm and come up with solutions to problems in your community, while addressing the SDGs. We have several resources you can use to help you teach this lesson. Related Resources You can also visit our resources page here for more!  Everyone knows to recycle paper and water bottles, but what about the smaller items, hidden in the abyss of the arts and crafts closet? Or the books that are laying on shelves collecting dust? According to Recycle Across America, recycling is the main action society can do to improve the environment. Here are 5 items found in the classroom that you probably didn’t know they could be recycled. 1. Markers  Yes, markers can be recycled! Look for recycling companies in your area that will take unused and used markers and pens. Crayola has a recycling program called ColorCycle where they convert plastic into reusable energy. We’ve had many teachers from our workshops tell us they’ve participated in this program and love it! You can also have your students be a part of this as well. 2. Glue Bottles and Sticks  Unfortunately, these cannot be recycled via your curbside recycling program. Glue sticks and bottles are made of #1 and #2 plastic, but many recycling programs are not able to recycle them due to the extra chemicals added to their plastic. However, You can take them to a local recycling center or repurpose them for a project. 3. Printer Cartridges  These can be recycled by dropping them off at an office supply store near you. These retailers are more than willing to take your used cartridges! You can also find a recycling facility nearby. Visit https://earth911.com/ to find one in your area. 4. Books  You probably have some books around your classroom that are no longer being used. You can donate these to a library, charity or thrift store. If you have paperback books that are ripped or no longer good for use, they can go straight to your curbside recycling bin. 5. Batteries  Not every battery will fit into this category. You can recycle rechargeable and single-use batteries, but make sure to contact your local recycling center for proper instructions.
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AuthorsCreated by Deborah Kozdras and Cassandra Farrell at the USF Stavros Center Archives
June 2020
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