American Library Association welcomes GreenMyParents in effort to rebuild library in Haiti

 

CHICAGO -GreenMyParents, a social media youth movement to seed the green economy and save the planet, has joined forces with  the American Library Association (ALA) in its effort to rebuild the Petit Goave Public Library in Haiti, which was destroyed by the earthquake last January.

 

The estimated cost to rebuild the Petit Goave library is $350,000.

 

“ALA welcomes the energy and the enthusiasm of youth in the GreenMyParents movement in helping the kids in Petit Goave realize their dream of a rebuilt library,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels.  

 

Ms. Jordan Howard, 18, youth editor of the book "GreenMyParents," said “GreenMyParents is about changing our world and making it better, at home. We want to use some of the money we save our parents to also help change the world with other kids, around the globe! Our partnership with the ALA to engage thousands of youth to help rebuild Haitian libraries such as Petit Goave is a wonderful example of our shared mission to improve people’s lives and make our world a better place.”

 

GreenMyParents helps families collaborate at home on building a new, greener America.  GreenMyParents youth champions will be connecting with their local libraries to set up meetings and conduct youth-led interactive “workshops” that teach kids how to engage their parents in practical programs of home-based environmental changes that result in learning about money, health, science and relationships by conserving energy and greening diet and family habits. Participants will be encouraged to direct a small portion of realized financial savings to help rebuild the Petit Goave Public Library.

 

“Our student participants loved the GreenMyParents workshop hosted at our library and streamed live over the Internet. The program was hosted by students and proved to be valuable, practical, entertaining and relevant to teens, tweens and parents alike. It’s wonderful to watch our youth bring families together and lead a new green movement. I hope every school and public library will host similar programs at their facilities,” said Ms. Cynthia Baran, librarian, Environmental Charter High School (ECHS), Lawndale, Calif., 2010.

 

“Ask children at PS#1 and they will tell you how much they enjoy Green My Parents: you get to save money and Be Green at the same time! The book is full of useful tips, but my own personal favorite can be found on page 441: The Green Bookbag. Even if someone actually carries on with only three of the MANY suggestions, it will make a difference for us all--but especially for our children,” said Christina García, Librarian, PS#1 Elementary School, Santa Monica, Calif.

GreenMyParents(GMP) is a youth environmental-economic movement. GMP is built on a popular book series, campus, and community workshop program and social media campaign that seeds the green economy, aims to earn over $100 for millions of individual families, and helps heal the Planet. Youth engage and grade their parents on fun activities to implement environmental and energy changes in families’ households and lifestyles—and negotiate a fair share of the financial savings from adopting a greener lifestyle. GreenMyParents has quickly spread and now includes support from many organizations, ranging from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Program to the National Wildlife Federation to sports icon Shaquille O’Neal.