June 6, 2008

Picturing a Better World

A United Nations art contest encourages kids to protect the environment

By Jessie Maxwell

When asked what actions she could take to combat global warming, Connie Yu, 13, reached for her colored pencils. The seventh grader from John Adams Middle School in Edison, New Jersey, won second place in the North American division of the United Nations' 17th International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment. She went up against more than 750 other kids from North America who were vying for the top spots.

CONNIE YU Shinning Light: This artwork won Connie Yu second place in the national competition and fifth place in the world.

Connie's picture focuses on the benefit of using alternative energy sources like wind and solar power to reduce our negative impact on the environment. Connie says she is motivated by her love of animals and inspired by former Vice President Al Gore and his efforts to reduce global warming. Connie hopes to continue to promote environmental awareness through her art. "Our future will be bleak if we don't do something," she told TIME For Kids.

As second place winner, Connie received an all-expense-paid trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden to celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th. There, she joined local Chicago winners Patrick Lambe, 7, and Andrey Velizarow Someonovski, 12, to watch the unveiling of an art exhibit that will eventually feature the competition's winning pictures from around the world. The first place winner, Cindy Liu, 10, from San Jose, California, flew to Wellington, New Zealand to participate in a World Environment Day celebration there.

Kick the Carbon Habit

Every year on June 5th, the United Nations encourages everyone to celebrate World Environmental Day. The day is designed to raise global awareness of important environmental issues. This year marks the 36th World Environmental Day celebration.

In North America, The Bayer Corporation and the United Nations Environment Programme sponsored the festivities at the Chicago Botanic Garden. All of the events at the daylong celebration reflected this year's theme, "Kick the CO2 or Carbon Habit!" Carbon is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

At the celebration, Dr. Mae Jemison, the nation's first African-American female astronaut, spoke to kids about what they can do to kick the carbon habit. Jemison is also the former director of the Jemison Institute of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and founder of an international science camp. "This is important stuff!" she exclaimed. "Each one of us has an incredible impact on what is going on in the world in our own small ways."

Be a Green Machine

Jemison has seen first hand the damages that humans can cause the environment. She says that while traveling in space she could see the air pollution on Earth. She also saw stark areas of deforested land.

Here are a few things Jemison says we can all do to help fight climate change and conserve natural resources.

* Turn the water off while you brush your teeth.
* Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
* Keep plastic water bottles out of the landfill; drink out of a glass, instead.
* If you can, walk or ride a bike to school.
* Bathe less often! A short shower uses up to 40 fewer gallons of water than a tub bath.

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