拯救地球，從我做起

如果你覺得拯救地球是大人才能做到的事，那你就大錯特錯了，因為青少年只要開動腦筋，努力研究，行動起來，也一樣能作出大貢獻！下文中的五個青少年就在用實際行動拯救我們的地球母親?？纯此麄兌甲隽诵┦裁窗?！

Saving Garbage “保存”垃圾

How much trash does one person produce in a week? How about in a year? Brennan Bird， 23， decided to find out. In 2010， as a student at the University of California， Davis， he saved all of his non-biodegradable garbage for an entire year—in his room.

Watching more than 200 pounds of bottles， cans， and other trash pile up led him to make some big lifestyle changes.“It really made me face the impact of my daily decisions，” Brennan says.

He now carries a reusable cup everywhere for drinks and cloth bags for buying fruits and vegetables. He buys foods like cereal and rice in bulk at a food co-op， filling his own containers.

“If we change the way we live， it can have a profound effect on the world，” Brennan says.

Brennan also experiments with other ways to reuse trash—such as building a bench using “bricks”made of discarded plastic bottles.

“I’ll never look at trash the same way again，” Brennan says.

一個人一周會產生多少垃圾？一年又是多少呢？23歲的布倫南·伯德決心找出答案。2010年，在加利福尼亞大學戴維斯分校上學的布倫南把自己一整年里產生的所有不能生物降解的垃圾全部保存了下來——放在自己的房間里。

看著兩百多磅的瓶瓶罐罐和其他垃圾日漸堆積起來，這讓布倫南在生活方式上做出了一些重大改變。他說：“這件事確實使我開始正視自己的日常決定所帶來的影響?！?/p>

他現在走到哪里都帶著可重復使用的水杯來喝水，買水果和蔬菜時也隨身帶著布制的購物袋。他在食品合作社購買散裝的大米、谷類等食品，并用自帶的容器盛裝。

“如果我們改變自己的生活方式，就會為世界帶來意義深遠的影響?！辈紓惸险f。

布倫南還試著通過其他方式使垃圾得到再利用，比如用丟棄的塑料瓶做成的“磚塊”做一張長椅。

“我不會再用老眼光看待垃圾了?！辈紓惸险f。

Green Machines 綠色校車

There are almost half a million school buses on U.S. roads. Can the air pollution they emit be cut？

Jonny Cohen is working on it. A sophomore from Highland Park High School in Highland Park， Illinois， he is the inventor of Green-Shields. One of these thin， clear plexiglass shields， placed over the front of a bus， makes the vehicle more aerodynamic， Jonny says. This means the bus will burn less fuel and emit fewer gas fumes into the air—up to 20 percent less， Jonny found in a recent test. So far， Jonny， 15， has received， in total， $26，000 in grants from Youth Venture and the Pepsi Refresh Project to help him develop his idea. He was a finalist for the 2011 Prudential Spirit of Community Award as well.

With the help of a team of volunteers， Jonny hopes to finish the prototype of his shield this summer. He is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation to get GreenShields approved for use on school buses.

To other young people with ideas he says，“You really have to stand up and be the change. You can’t wait for it to happen.”

美國的公路上行駛著近五十萬輛校車。我們能不能減少這些校車造成的空氣污染呢？

喬尼·科恩正在為此而努力。喬尼來自伊利諾伊州海蘭帕克，是海蘭帕克中學的一名高二學生。他發明了一種叫做“綠盾”的裝置。喬尼說，在校車前方安裝一片這種薄而透明的普列克斯玻璃擋板，可以提升校車的空氣動力學性能(編者注：即減少空氣阻力)。這就意味著校車的油耗將會降低，尾氣排放也會減少。喬尼在最近的一次實驗中發現，這種裝置可使上述兩項指標減少20%之多。

迄今為止，15歲的喬尼已經收到了來自“青少年創業基金”和“百事煥新項目”共計2.6萬美元的資助，幫助他推進自己的設想。他同時還是2011年“保德信青少年志工菁英獎”的最終候選人。

在一隊志愿者的幫助下，喬尼希望能在今年夏天完成綠盾樣品的制作。他正在和伊利諾伊州的交通部門合作，爭取獲得許可，將綠盾應用于校車上。

對于其他有想法的年輕人，喬尼說：“你必須挺身而出，做出改變，不能坐等變化自己發生?！?/p>

A City Garden 城市園圃

In 2007， gardens were hard to come by on the East Side of San Antonio， Texas. So were places to get fresh， organic fruits and vegetables.

Diana Lopez and other community members decided to change that. They started by converting an abandoned lot filled with trash into a vibrant organic garden full of produce. “It took a lot of research on my part，” says Diana， 22， who is employed by the Southwest Workers Union， an organization of low-income workers and families in San Antonio.

She had to learn how to till soil and choose the plants and foods that would grow best in the garden.

Today the project has expanded to cover four lots， growing a host of fruits and vegetables. It also teaches young people about gardening and nature.“It’s important to get your clothes and your hands dirty，” Diana says. “It’s all for good， to revitalize our Mother Earth.”

2007年，得克薩斯州圣安東尼奧的東部地區幾乎沒有什么果蔬園，那里也很少有地方能買到新鮮的有機蔬菜和水果。

戴安娜·洛佩斯和社區里的其他居民決心改變這一狀況。他們開始動手將一片滿是垃圾的荒地改造成一處生機盎然、農產豐富的有機園圃。

“我為此做了很多研究工作。”現年22歲的戴安娜說。她是圣安東尼奧市西南工會的工作人員，該工會是一個由低收入工人及家庭形成的組織。

她必須學習如何耕地以及如何挑選出最適合在這個園圃生長的作物。

如今，這個項目的規模已經擴大到了四塊地，種植有許多水果和蔬菜。這個項目還教會年輕人許多關于園藝和大自然的知識?！坝H身參與實踐活動非常重要，”戴安娜說，“這是件好事，是為了讓我們的地球母親重新充滿活力。”

Reducing E-Waste 減少電子垃圾

One day， Sachin Rudraraju， 16， noticed two old computers left out beside a trash can in his Powell， Ohio， neighborhood.

“That’s where I saw the problem，” says the junior at Olentangy Liberty High School—the problem of how to dispose of old electronics.

Americans got rid of about 2.3 million tons of computers and other electronics in 2007， according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Only 18 percent of it was recycled. Most of the rest went to landfills， where toxins such as mercury and lead can leak out into the water and air.

In 2008， Sachin founded the Community Recycling Campaign. He and other volunteers have gone door-to-door educating people about recycling electronics. The group has also collected hundreds of computers and computer products—refurbishing what they can and properly recycling the rest.

“I think the campaign inspired people，” says Sachin， who was also a Prudential Spirit of Community Award finalist. “People understand that it’s an important cause.”

一天，俄亥俄州鮑威爾的一名16歲少年薩欽·魯德拉拉朱發現，有兩臺舊電腦被扔在自家附近的一個垃圾桶旁邊。

“正是那一幕讓我意識到了這個問題?！边@名來自奧倫坦吉自由中學的高三學生表示。他指的是如何處理廢舊電器的問題。

據美國國家環境保護局統計，美國人在2007年淘汰了約230萬噸的電腦和其他電器，其中僅有18%被回收利用。其余的絕大多數都被送往垃圾填埋場，而這些垃圾中所含的汞和鉛等毒素會滲入水和空氣當中。

2008年，薩欽發起了社區回收運動。他和其他的志愿者挨家挨戶上門普及回收處理電器的知識。他們還收集了數百臺電腦和電腦配件，把其中自己可以修好的修整一新，并將其余的做了適當的回收處理。

“我認為這場運動把大家都發動起來了，”薩欽說，“人們認識到這是一項重要的使命。”薩欽同樣是“保德信青少年志工菁英獎”的最終候選人。

Lobbying for Change 游說政府做出改變

In Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula， where Freya Chay lives， renewable energy like wind and solar power is an important topic.

“In Alaska， we have a really big oil and natural gas industry，” says the 16-year-old sophomore at Kenai Central High School. But oil and gas pollute the air and water， and there is a limited amount of both， Freya notes. “For me， alternative energy is a way we can get energy without hurting the environment.”

Starting with her hometown and working her way to the state capital of Juneau， Freya lobbied officials to pass a state law that encourages the use of alternative energy systems in homes. The law exempts some homeowners who install such systems from higher property taxes. This accomplishment won her a 2010 Brower Youth Award for environmental activism.

But Freya is still at work， convincing municipalities to enact the law.“It’s still a process，” she says. “But I feel like [the outcome] is pretty promising.”

在弗雷亞·蔡伊的家鄉阿拉斯加州的基奈半島，風能和太陽能等可再生能源是當地人的一個重要話題。

“阿拉斯加有規模巨大的石油和天然氣工業?！边@名基奈中心中學16歲的高二學生說。但是，弗雷亞認識到石油和天然氣會污染水和空氣，而且二者的儲量也都有限?！霸谖铱磥恚娲茉醇瓤梢允刮覀儷@得能源，又不會危害環境。”

弗雷亞從她的家鄉一路游說到州首府朱諾，希望政府官員們通過一項州法令，鼓勵各家各戶使用替代能源裝置。根據這項法令，一些已安裝替代能源裝置的家庭可免除較高的房地產稅。這一成就使弗雷亞在2010年獲得了為環保積極分子設立的“布勞爾青年獎”。

但是弗雷亞仍在繼續努力說服市政當局頒行這項法令?！笆虑檫€在進行中，”她說，“不過我覺得(結果)很令人期待?！?/p>