Tck Tck Tck

The clock is counting down to December 7, 2009, when leaders from all over the world will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. You may be thinking, "what's the big deal about this particular conference?" Well according to scientists, the time to act to stop global warming is now. We need to not only slow the increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, but actually being to decrease them by 2015. That's only 6 short years away! Every year since the industrial revolution, our input of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has increased at a steady rate. If we do not begin to reverse this trend by 2015, the catastrophic course of climate change will already be set in motion.

As of right now, most of our elected leaders are not getting the message that global warming needs their serious attention, and fast. That why we need you! You may not be an elected leader, or even old enough to vote, but you can be a leader on this! Here's what you do:

1) Speak up! Tell your friends, family, school or church community that why this is important to you, and that our future is at stake.

2) Be bold! Call, write or email the elected leaders of your country or state. To search for your country's leader's phone number click here.

3) Call or write to your members of congress. Tell them you want them to take bold action on climate change. Search here for their phone number and address.

4) Visit tcktcktck.org to learn more about the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, and New York City Climate Week, which is a series of events and actions to get the attention of the leaders at the United Nations in town to discuss climate change this week.

5) Sign up to attend or host an event for 350.org's Day of Action on October 24th. More on this event to come!

GreenOpolis

Girl Scout Troop 151 of Las Vegas is kicking off their year long greener living initiative with a “green living fair” called GreenOpolis. The fair is open to the public on September 12th from 10am-1:30pm. Registration is required before the event. If you are in the area, I hope you and your family can stop by!

Into the woods

As summer draws to a close, both parents and kids alike mourn the end of long days full of play and free of schedules. This shift from carefree summer days to school days has become even more distressing, as research shows that kids spend more time inside now than ever before. This detachment from the outdoors is causing what Richard Louv coined in his book, Last Child in the Woods, as "nature deficit disorder," resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems such as anxiety, attention deficit disorders and depression. Childhood obesity is also shockingly on the rise, and is in no doubt a direct correlation.

So what is causing this great indoor migration? For one, parent's growing fear of "stranger danger", fueled by the media, keeps kids under constant supervision, not allowing for the spontaneous, unstructured play outdoors that experts say is so vital to childhood development. Secondly, the increased lure of gadgets, computers and television is often too enticing for kids to resist. And finally, a loss of natural surroundings in our neighborhoods and cities has forced many children indoors.

With some guidance and encouragement, your kids can find their way back to nature. There are several great resources for kids on the web on where to go, what to do and what to see in outdoors.

The US Forest Service has created a website that encourages kids to "discover themselves" in nature. Kids visiting the site can search for places to bike, swim, fish, hike and go camping in their area. They can also discover some cool tricks to use in the great outdoors, like how to use a compass or track animals. Visit discovertheforest.org

The National Wildlife Federation has a great site for families that encourages children to spend one Green Hour outside a day. That's not asking much, considering the average American child spends 44 hours a week with electronic media. The site provides great tips and activities to do with kids during their "green hour." Visit greenhour.org

Discover the Forest