Hey kids! If you are reading this, go ahead and give yourself a high five! Just by being here you are saying that you care about the forest and animals in it! Below you will find info on what you can do to help and have fun at the same time. Young people just like you are protecting the forests!
Cole’s Commitment
So much of the packaging used by fast food companies cannot be recycled and ends up as trash in landfills. Trees should not go straight to the trash! You can stand up to fast food companies and make them change their ways — just like our buddy Cole!
Cole is a 10 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina. He decided to act and protect Southern forests by standing up to the fast food companies. Cole designed postcards that he and his classmates sent to the executives of the fast food companies asking them to use less packaging and more recycled paper. In March 2010, Ranger Rick magazine featured Cole in a full-page article in for his efforts to get fast food companies to use recycled paper and help protect our forests. Cole also won the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Just like Cole, you can voice your opinion and send your message to these companies to make them listen!
In 2011, Cole took his campaign to a whole new level. He recruited friends at seven different elementary schools to organize their schools and collected over 6000 hand drawn postcards to KFC. Then in March, he traveled with three other friends to Louisville, KY to hand deliver the postcards to executives at the company. Take a moment to watch his inspiring story and share it with your friends.
10 Things you can do to save the forests!
- Educate yourself about the environment and current events!
- Setup a table at your school and distribute information about your cause while collecting petition signatures to send to KFC!
- Organize a photo petition – make a speech bubble (like the one below) and take photos of your friends to send to the fast food companies.
- Tell everyone you know to take action!
- Sign up for the Dogwood Alliance online activist community to stay updated and learn how you can help!
- Design creative projects to reuse old packaging and left over paper!
- Set up a Recycling Center at your school or home if there isn’t one already.
- Remember what you can do every day to save the environment – Reuse paper and plastic bags, use rags and towels instead of paper towels and napkins, and don’t use disposable plates and cups
- Volunteer! Contact our organizer Haiz Oppenheimer to learn how you can get more involved.
- Support local organizations that are working to protect our forests like Dogwood Alliance
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