Teens Go Green

Hannah Stockert Barisonzi was 13 when she started Green Crew. It’s a group of kids who want to help protect the environment. Hannah is now 18. She’s the Bloomington, Minnesota, group’s copresident. She spoke to TIME for Kids about wanting to “actually have my hands in the dirt, making change in my own backyard.”

That’s exactly what she’s been doing. Since Green Crew began, it has engaged nearly 2,000 kids. Projects have included planting trees, pulling weeds, and testing water quality in the Minnesota River. 

FOR THE BEES Teens plant native wildflowers to attract bees and butterflies at the new pollinator garden in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Hannah notes that people might feel that protecting the Earth is an “impossible” task. “Green Crew is trying to give people, especially kids, a way to feel like it’s not,” she says. “There is something tangible that you can do. Even if it’s small, it’s still doing something.”

Improve the World

Teenagers lead Green Crew service events. Adults and younger kids can volunteer to pitch in. “The Green Crew is for the community,” says club treasurer Krish Narayanan, 16. “It’s for all ages.”

HELPING HANDS In 2025, children plant trees and prairie shrubs at Green Crew headquarters, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The group hopes to expand. So far, three new crews have sprouted in Minnesota. But you can start a Green Crew wherever you live. “Get together with a group of kids,” Hannah advises. “That’s really all you need.”

PLANTING SEEDS Children learn about soil and seeds at a 2025 Green Crew event.

“Don’t be scared,” Krish adds. “Just get yourself involved.”

Hannah continues: “When we started, it was really me saying randomly in the car to my dad, ‘Hey, it would be really cool if somebody did this.’ So don’t be afraid to shoot out your random ideas for how you would like to improve the world. And don’t give up on them.”