 What does it take to lead the way in helping the environment? Just ask Liam, 11, a 6th grader at St. Vincent de Paul in New Jersey. Liam likes basketball, playing the guitar…and making a difference. He created a how-to pamphlet to help other kids conserve energy–and he won Toyota’s “Agent for Change” contest. That means his school will be visited by Toyota’s Mobile Hybrid Experience (MHE). TFK caught up with this busy kid to ask him about his winning entry and his bright future.
QUESTION: Liam, how did you come up with the idea for your how-to pamphlet?
ANSWER: My teacher, Mrs. Pelliccia, gave us the assignment. But I never expected to win!
Q: Why is helping the environment important?
A: Everything that we do affects something. Turtles often swallow plastic baggies someone tossed out because they think it’s a jellyfish–and they can die. Polar bears and penguins are struggling because their food source is changing because of pollution. Animals and trees can’t talk, so it’s up to us to make a difference for them and for ourselves.
 Q: How will your pamphlet help others?
A: It’ll remind them of the little things they can do everyday. If we all just do a little bit–it adds up to make a huge difference.
Q: How do you feel about winning a visit from Toyota’s Mobile Hybrid Experience?
A: It’s really cool. I can’t wait, everyone is so excited. Our principal, Mrs. Skillender, told me how great it is that Toyota is coming to our school. Just about everyone has congratulated me.
Q: After checking out toyota.com/highway site, what do you think the MHE will help you learn?
A: The Toyota people are going to talk about what we as kids can do to help the environment–like reminding us that trees are important for the earth’s health. I like that Toyota is planting 50,000 trees during the MHE tour. I also like that Toyota is working on alternative fuels. It’s easy to forget that Toyota is not just a car company–they have scientist working on improving their cars and this helps to improve things for the environment.
 Q: How can other kids be an eco leader like you?
A: Kids just need to do the stuff that they think is right. It’s up to us kids to make sure that everything that can be done will be done to make sure that we make the world a better place to live. It would be great if more companies would help kids participate in saving the earth and showing us how much they are doing to help–like Toyota does.
|
