
Photo Courtesy of United Nations Environment Programme
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It's not a surprise that most adults don't become green converts until they become parents. Take it from Change Maker Monica Rodgers of eco-children's boutique, Little Bits. When you become responsible for a human life that will most likely outlast yours—you receive a serious wake up call about the severity of climate change and the need to do something about it. Even when you're running on little to zero, I'm-a-new-parent sleep, you still want to create the cleanest, greenest future for your kids.
It makes you wonder why then, that children are so often left out of the climate change debate—whether in the debates of our Presidential nominees, local policy making or in the media.
Fortunately, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is including kids in the climate change debate having given them the chance to express their visions, fears and hopes about the state of the planet in their annual International Children's Painting Competition. This year's theme is 'UNite to Combat Climate Change.' The campaign features a collection of paintings that serve as a general public reminder of the global community of little goblins that will inherit this world well after us. In what might also be argued as even more important, UNEP plans to use the children's voices as leverage when urging for a call for an agreement to be reached at the climate change talks taking place in Copenhagen in 2009.
Though UNEP seems a force to be reckoned with—especially after our interview with executive director Achim Steiner—they could still use our help. Support UNEP's wish to integrate children into the call-for-action behind climate change by either visiting the campaign's exhibit opening on October 23 at the United Nation Headquarters in NYC, or, participating in the auction taking place on October 25 at The Harvard Club.
If you can't make it to the auction in-person, you can pre-bid or live bid online—and feel good doing it! Proceeds will go to UNICEF's emergency relief fund for children living in areas affected by climate-change related disasters.
Learn more at Paint for the Planet.