I can think of no better reason to do everything to fight climate change than our next generation. Our youth will be on the front lines dealing with sky-high temperatures, super storms, droughts, and rising sea levels. Maybe that’s why our teens are taking big steps to fight against the damage that another generation actually caused. Here’s how our teens are taking on climate change.

1. Suing politicians over inaction on climate change.

Kelsey Juliana and her co-plaintiff Olivia Chernaik are both suing Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) and the state for not doing enough to protect future generations from the devastating effects of climate change.

“This could be a landmark decision on the question: Does government, as trustee over our essential natural resources, have to protect it from carbon pollution and the impacts of climate disruption?” Julia Olson, executive director of the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust, and originator of a suite of youth-led lawsuits since 2011, said to Huffington Post.

2. Designing eco-friendly clothing at age 14.

Maya Penn founded Maya’s Ideas at age 8. Today, at age 14 she designs and handmakes eco-friendly clothing. She’s been taking bamboo, organic cotton, and leftover fabrics and creating designs that have been purchased all over the world. They’ve been worn by Michael Franti, Jasmine Guy, Sara Blakely, and Samuel L. Jackson. And she donates 10-20 percent of her profits to environmental charities.

3. Standing up for what’s right.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, the youth director of Earth Guardians believes its time to stand up for what’s right. His impassioned speech at a U.N. event on climate change left the audience in awe. He’s already organized youth crews to fight climate change on six continents. Here’s what he said to Rolling Stone:

“We inherited this way of thinking from past generations: conquer the earth, take ownership of it, dominate it. Right now, the world doesn’t see we’re a part of nature, that when we cut down the rainforest or blow apart a mountain to get the coal inside, or when we drill the Arctic, that’s tearing apart the only home we’ve got.”

4. Teens turning green.

The organization Teens Turning Green was initially started as Teens for Safe Cosmetics in 2005 to remove harmful ingredients from cosmetics. But today the organization has a number of pilot programs including Project Green Challenge for high school and college students, The Conscious Kitchen, to bring organic, non-GMO foods to schools, and Project Green Dorm, which provides teens with everything they need to live green in the dorms.

Teens are realizing that they will feel the brunt of climate change and taking action isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity. From climate activism to green businesses and even lawsuits, we love today’s teens for all the good work they’re doing.

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Image of happy teen group smiling from Shuttershock

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KFC IS SELLING A CORSAGE WITH FRIED CHICKEN IN IT. YES, I KNOW I HAVE THE CAPS LOCK ON!

I just threw up a little at the news that KFC has released a drumstick corsage just in time for prom season.

Yeah, you read right: It’s a corsage with a hunk of dead, fried chicken in the middle of soft, fragrant flowers.

I’m assuming it’s a marketing ploy to get exactly this type of attention. Healthy food-loving writers like me will tell you how utterly offensive this is. So, of course, rebellious teens will find some kind of demented pleasure in strapping a dead animal to their wrists.

Maybe it’s an effort by a KFC marketing guy who was presumably stood up on his prom? And maybe now he’s trying to humiliate girls by getting grease stains all over their satiny prom dresses?

Or, maybe this is KFC’s commentary on schools nixing fast food? We may have won the battle for healthier school in the lunchroom, but they can sell kids chicken as accessories.

Whatever the reason, it exists. For $20, your date could be wearing a hunk of original recipe chicken. There’s even a slightly disturbing Wes Anderson-y inspired video promoting the corsage. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I watched the whole thing. Mostly though, I was just waiting for the “we’re just kidding! Ha ha fooled you” part. But it never came.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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The post Gross: KFC Lures Fast Food-Crazed Teens with Fried Chicken Corsages for Prom appeared first on EcoSalon.

I dare you to watch this heartwarming video and not cry. Sarah and Paige are both missing parts of their arms, and their moms brought them together via the International Child Amputee Network (just thinking that such an organization even exists breaks my heart). Over the last 8 years, the two girls have formed an intense bond, using Internet video chat service Skype (full disclosure: the video is actually an ad for Skype). Though separated by many miles (hometowns are in New Zealand and Indiana in the US), they are clearly best friends. Watch to see the terrific surprise and enjoy the beauty of friendship!  

Related on Ecosalon: 

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Our constant use of technology is giving rise to a new disorder known as sleep texting.

Few things can get you into more trouble than sending a text in your sleep. Sleep texting is like having your subconscious thoughts published in the form of a text message, which can get you into some sticky situations.

Sleep texting is becoming increasingly common, especially among younger adults, according to Dr. Michael Gelb, a clinical professor at New York University’s College of Dentistry and founder of The Gelb Center in New York. Sleep texting falls into the same category of parasomnia sleep disorders as sleep walking.

Alex Thielen, a 22 year old sleep texter, felt the pangs of embarrassment when she sent a sleep text to her ex-boyfriend. After months without contact, he had reached out to her, sending her a text before bedtime. She sent him a sleep text back asking him to meet up.

“I never wanted to see him, and still don’t, but I think subconsciously, I still partially do, so my subconscious loved the idea,” Thielen explained to The Atlantic. “I woke up and was embarrassed to tell my friends and mom because deep down, I knew it was a bad idea. I was upset with myself for making it known that I wanted to see him.”

No Spell Check for Sleep Texting

Sleep texts are often riddled with misspellings but the words still have impact, especially when sent to someone outside close family and friends–like a boss or ex-boyfriend. They’re also very difficult to retract because people hesitate to believe that you sent a text in your sleep. But with cell phones on nearly every bedside table, sleep texting isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound.

Sleep texting also disrupts sleep, preventing your body from reaching the REM sleep cycle. What a person had to drink, stress levels, and quality of sleep before the event also have an impact. Workaholics are also prone to sleep texting. According to an article in the Daily Mail, they can’t seem to turn off their work brain.

“People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean that they feel like they’re ‘on call’ even at night,” said Dr David Cunnington, of Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre in Australia.

The thought of sending a subconscious text to my boss makes my stomach turn. All the more reason to keep your cell phone out of the bedroom.

Have you ever been caught sleep texting? Tell us about it in a comment.

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Image: Jhaymesisviphotography

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But she’s a cheerleader! What to make of Kaitlyn Hunt.

Three years ago, the people of the internet—and more importantly, the ACLU—rallied in support of a teen named Constance McMillen who wanted to take her girlfriend to the prom.

Things ended well for Constance. Her school agreed to create a policy protecting students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, pay her $35,000, pay her attorneys’ fees and expenses and have the court enter a judgment against the school. If she had lost, she may have missed out on the prom, which could be a “my life is over” moment for some high schoolers. But her life would have gone on.

The same cannot be said for Kaitlyn Hunt, the 18-year-old at the center of the most recent story about two teenage girls in a relationship. In February, the Florida teen was expelled from school, arrested and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12 to 16 years of age as a result of her relationship with her 14-year-old classmate.

By all accounts, the relationship was consensual—these girls were basketball teammates and friends. It also seems both sets of parents knew about the girls’ relationship. Hunt’s parents are accusing the younger girl’s parents of discrimination, claiming that they never would have reacted this way if Kaitlyn was a boy. The younger girl’s parents deny that charge.

The what ifs in this case are huge—and so are the stakes. If she is found guilty of the second-degree felony charges she faces, Hunt could spend up to 15 years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender.

This CNN report about this case is, well, weird. This clip starts with a reporter’s voiceover about Hunt’s life being ruined, and goes on to lament how she should be getting ready for college cheerleading tryouts in the fall (I thought she played basketball but whatever), but instead is getting ready for court. The message: This girl is normal. With blond hair and candy-colored fingernails, surrounded by her family, we are to understand that she’s not your typical predator. And she’s not. Unless you ask her girlfriend’s parents.

They have said they told Kaitlyn the relationship was wrong. So, they warned her to stay away from their daughter. I mean, I know it’s been a while since I was in high school, but since when do teenagers listen to parents about relationships?

The coverage ends with a reference to “her mistake.” Was it a mistake? I’m not saying girls will be girls, but let’s look at the facts as we know them. Two classmates were friends. Two classmates started dating. One was 18, one was 14. In Florida, no one under the age of 16 can legally consent to sex. But these are teenagers, and the 14-year-old is not saying Hunt pushed her into a relationship. And most teenagers don’t look up their state’s consent laws when they start dating a peer.

Let’s go back to the question everyone seems to be asking: What if Kaitlyn Hunt was male? Assuming the parents reacted the same way and the same charges were pending—which I doubt they would have—I think the case, in the media at least, would be clearer because people could spread the usual message: Girls are victims and boys want sex. Well, newsflash: Anyone can be a victim, and girls want sex too.

Last week, Hunt rejected a plea deal that would have allowed her to avoid registering as a sex offender if she pleaded guilty to lesser charges of child abuse. State Attorney Bruce Colton had said he would recommend two years of house arrest followed by one year probation if she took the deal.

I get that this is a tricky area. Like many teenagers, Hunt met someone at school that she liked, they started dating and things got messy. But a consensual high school relationship shouldn’t end in jail time, and the ACLU agrees and has released an official statement: “The ACLU of Florida condemns the prosecution of 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt. The facts as we understand them suggest that the state is prosecuting Kaitlyn for engaging in behavior that is both fairly innocuous and extremely common … This prosecution does nothing to protect Florida’s young people but instead causes a great deal of harm.”

Teenagers in same sex relationships have enough pressure from society, friends and, sometimes, parents. I’d like to applaud Hunt’s family for sticking by her and calling out the other parents involved for what seems to be a case of homophobia, not girls gone wild.

Image: Examiner

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A sensibly chic take on the fiber and jute peasant footwear made in Catalonia since the 14th century – and popularized by designers in the forties and eighties – I like to think of TOMS Shoes as the little espadrille that could:

It could be the most popular shoe second to Uggs for American teenage girls (and fashion crossover dudes). The basic black TOM is now accepted as part of the uniform at schools nationwide in sun, rain, sleet or snow. Who knew canvas was year-round? The choices keep growing, from sparkly sequin and high wedgie editions to earthy vegan and even a new wedding collection.

It could be the most ingenious idea to date for a company giving back on a one-for-one basis to help barefoot populations risking cuts and sores, infections and disease from exposure. On April 5, TOMs raises awareness with its One Day Without Shoes, advertised in a celeb splashed video featuring uplifting images of shoeless throngs across the nation getting into the act.

And it could be catching on big-time as other shoe and apparel marketing execs look for sexy giving campaigns that attract younger generations seeking trends and causes. Ralph Lauren co-branded Rugby TOMS donating a matched pair with every pair sold; Element Skateboards introduced limited edition TOMS+Element shoes with a One for One skateboard benefiting the Indigo Skate Camp in Durban South Africa.

The TOMS movement began in 2006 when Blake Mycoskie was traveling in Argentina and discovered too many poor children were going without shoes. He started his company and returned to Argentina later that year armed with 10,000 pairs of shoes made available by TOM customers through the program. To date, more than one million pairs of new shoes have been issued to children thorough Giving Partners around the world.

Was the idea unique? Well, in 2005, a year before the trip to Argentina and following the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia, Soles4Soles was born based on the concept of giving without receiving. Wayne Elsey saw the need and spurred on shoe makers to donate a quarter million of their shoes to devastated locations. A year later, another million were shipped to the gulf coast following Katrina. So in 2006, Elsey made it official and founded his non profit.

Shoes2Share sprung from a couple’s adoption of children from Haiti. Described as a grassroots ministry, its humble beginnings have involved distributing suitcases of shoes to relieve the plight of children and families in orphanages, shelters and rehabilitation and feeding programs. In addition to the Caribbean effort, the charity is now targeting children of fallen soldiers, police officers and firefighters.

More on the scale of the one-for-one platform, Payless ShoeSource has introduced the Good Shoe Project, partnering with World Vision to peddle a knock-off of the TOMS canvas boater, called theAirwalk Hope Shoe, for $19.99. For every pair sold, Payless will send a pair to children in Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua or Guatemala. Pitched to customers as the “buy one, give one” deal, they offer not only hope to barefoot victims but to consumers who want to do their part to give without footing the $54-$80 bill for a pair of TOMS.

Eventually, TOMS range may widen as well to make giving opportunities more abundant, reaching kids on U.S. turf who want to get on the bandwagon . Perhaps then, the little espadrille that could will really be too cool for school!

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Welcome to cub web publishing 101, the course for literary teens who go one further than Facebook to flex their writing muscles via blogs devoted to pop culture, fashion and eco activism. Green teen blogging is the new black. But just like the sport of crew, it takes time away from homework. You have to want to get your strokes from more than a bunch of A’s on a card. Meet a few of the new breed.

While most high school freshman call it a day after trudging through the mixed cauldron of Macbeth, ancient Rome and conjugating Spanish verbs, It’s Getting Hot in Here contributor Shadia Fayne Wood blogs about climate justice. At fifteen, she joined the World Summit on Sustainable Development – joining efforts to create the Official Youth Energy Policy Statement. She now helps coordinate a global youth journalism network, Project Survival Media and while keeping a personalblog and pursuing a freelance photography sideline.

At Teens Turning Green, founded in Marin County, CA., concerned teens from around the globe blog to further the goal of  eliminating toxic chemicals from individual lives. Part of the joy is using the art of writing to effect change.

Its co-founder, Erin Schrode, got her start as a “sustainability prodigy” at the website and it led to awards, testimony before lawmakers and paid writing gigs by the time she was sixteen. Now, at nineteen, she is a guest blogger on Dr. Greene and other sites, and has a healthy TTG cosmetic line promoted by Whole Foods.

“They become experts and have something to share, and that is why they are blogging and articulating their perspectives,” says Judi Shill, Shrode’s mom and co-founder of the site. Shill finds blogging isn’t always an entree into journalism but is a sign of the times of how teens today communicate. Still, she admits some of the writing is “extraordinary” – and you can tell who is taking it further.

Taking it further might require the kind of chutzpah displayed by freelance teen reporter, Daniel Wetter, a member of the Scholastic Press Corps who often reports on eco issues. The upstart also has a passion for sports and covered the winter Olympics at fourteen, despite not having proper credentials. That’s the makings of a network sports writer – no shrinking violet in the locker room! “Every day has a new story to cover which is why I love journalism,” he says, and proves it by seeking out stories in his Sacramento community and working for his school paper, The Growler.

And then, in a league of her own, is fashion force Tavi Gevinson. The 14-year-old haute couture devotee, who also covers second hand shopping, has been writing the consumption blog, Style Rookie, since she was eleven. Next stop, a collaboration with Sassy creator Jane Pratt to produce a new teen publication for what Gevinson calls “wallflowery teenage girls.” A profile on the suburban Chicagoan in The New Yorker, points out bloggers have only recently become important in the world of fashion (our own Amy DuFault has the green niche covered), and that Tavi at fourteen is already an old pro who adeptly navigates her away around the backstage of shows, as well as on the web.

“In seventh grade, I’d come home from school and take an outfit picture, post it, write a little bit about it, and write a little bit about the day,” Tavi told the magazine. “Now, I want to write more article-y things.”

Gevinson is able to crossover from silly to serious because luminaries such as Karl Lagerfeld believe the idiosyncratic, four-foot-ten chronicler has something to say, her fresh eye not “ruined by zillions of bad collections.”

Fresh perspective is nurtured at enrichment workshops for kid writers, such as ones held at 826 Valencia, founded by author Dave Eggers and educator, Ninive Calegari. Stanford University’s EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth) urges creative wordsmiths to leap into fountains on the Stanford campus and leave anonymous poems on random  bikes.   Lekha School of Writing in San Jose, CA., circumvents the red tape of publishing houses with an adjunct service of publishing works completed by its best students. Some make it into bookstores before the kid has a driver’s license.

Meanwhile, savvy school teachers also play a vital role in prompting talented writers to journey beyond the classroom to reach a wider audience, even if it means a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.

“If students write for an audience of one teacher, they often don’t feel motivated,” says Paul Totah, educator and Director of Communications at Saint Ignatius college Preparatory in San Francisco. “Real world publishing is the best way to inspire good writing.”

Totah, like many of the most insightful instructors, is a former writer who has been in the trenches.

“Whenever I applied for a job as a writer, no one cared what college I went to or what grades or SAT scores I received,” shares Totah. “They looked at my writing portfolio and hired me because of the quality of the writing. Students know they are judged by how well they write anything, from emails to memos to sticky notes, and that concise, powerful prose will serve them in whatever they pursue.”

Edgy and current prose also serves them when selling “article-y things”, catching the eyes of avid Tweeters. But beware of early burn out. It’s a tempting, yet tangled, word wide web we weave, a seemingly endless one at that. The advantage of publishing early comes with a requisite of restraint. Otherwise, prodigies like the Tavi Gevinsons of the world could slide dangerously into child star Lindsay Lohan territory, and risk being washed up before experience and wisdom takes their art to new heights.

Images: Extra Ketchup;  It’s Getting Hot in Here; The Style Rookie; Erin Schrode; Lekha Publishing

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Jeggings: The season’s hot pants give new meaning to OMG! Optimum mailable garment? Over my girth? Omnipresent mod gear?

I could go on and on, but I will spare you, and simply rant about how the stretchiest jeans for a body-fluctuating planet are an inescapable fashion feature this fall – one  invading my space as I prepare my daughters for the school year. Enough is enough. I’m jegging for mercy.

New York Magazine calls it a “collision of trends” – fitted denim meets the leggings phenomenon. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you probably aren’t hip to the 2010 runway: Fifties calf-grazing skirts, lace-up equestrian boots, gauzy tunics and gypsy Gothic black tiered gowns. In other words, you in the dark!

“I’m so sick of salespeople explaining to us that jeggings are jeans+leggings and saying how great they are,” kvetches my high school-bound daughter, adding, “I’ve been wearing them since 5th grade!”

True, I was ahead of the times, and bought her a pair of black stretch  jeans with pockets back then, a style that conjured my own beloved 60s peddle pushers. Like jeggings, the black slacks + tights (slights?) were cute under little dresses.

Four years later, skinny-jean-worshiping teens and tunic-clad matrons are drawn to jeggings for the same reasons: They are even skinnier than skinny jeans because they adhere like Crazy Glue to the torso and limbs. They also fit all body types and help suck in the territory Spanx won’t go. They are great for layering and also serve to reveal an enviable hard body when flaunted sans the trusty tunic.

Forget color fads. Girl, give me some Spandex and poly knit that acts like them skinny pants, and I will work it in any shade.

The possibilities are endless, and so, jeggings have jogged their way to retail racks and rounders from Bloomies and Nordstrom (Hue makes them in corduroy) to American Eagle (second pair is 50 percent off), H&M and Target (cheaper but not as long lasting). Hollywood high-end Hudson signature denim designs with pockets can be had for a smidgen over $150. Plus-size brands can be had for a little over $12 at Walmart. Which to buy might depend on what will soon shrink the most, you or the jeggings.

And yes, they have crossed over, now available for the male set, appealing to fashionable fellas who don’t necessarily dance to classical music for a living. But you must be extremely bold. Stylish just isn’t enough when you are pushing the envelope with man jeggings, or rather, meggings.

The question remains: To jeg or not to jeg?

I say jeg if you dig tunics. Jeg if you are under 90 and live in a cold, foggy climate where layering is key. Jeg if you earn a living lifting ballerinas. Jeg if, like my daughter, you go to a dress coded Catholic school that permits any colored jeans other than denim. And, hey moms, don’t worry about over-jegging. Like Australian Uggs, first introduced as apres ski apparel, jeggings are probably here to stay. Eventually, they might merge with Uggs, and be reborn as bootjeggers, or maybe Juggs?

Image: Free People, Denimology, Forum Kiteout

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Everyone knows it is bad news when thumbs are playing tiny keyboards behind the wheel, but other societal pains are now surfacing from chronic texting – namely carpal tunnel syndrome in teens. Ouch! That compulsion to get a rush from staying connected could prove an addiction more risky than good old pot or chocolate. Who knew?

Perhaps the mom of a 16-year-old Illinois girl named Annie Levitz, who was recently diagnosed with the nerve compression ailment by a rheumatologist who found the constant texting was causing the teen to lose her grip. The syndrome can cause tingling, burning and itching numbness in the effected area, which often is the palm of the hand from poor computer keyboards or other factors. Speedy texting demands great dexterity of the fingers and thumbs and obviously can take its toll.

Dr. Sofia Aksentijevich says the problem she found in her young patient is typical in pregnant women due to swelling, but a case like Levitz is unusual. Still, many fear it is the first in a pending epidemic because of the constant need for teens – and society as a whole – to exchange messages. Levitz’s mom says her daughter sends some 65 messages a day, averaging 2,000 a month, but now she has learned her lesson and is slowing down. One reason is the pain and inconvenience of having to sport wrist braces until she heals. The other is the negative press. She says she has been branded “Carpal Tunnel Girl” at Adlai Stevenson High School.

Images: Simon Doggett; Supports4less

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Getting Purelled is the growing phenomenon of sanitizing one’s germ-infested mitts with the alcohol-based, Johnson & Johnson product known as Purell.

What’s in the name, William Safire students might ask?

Pure, I imagine, denotes the opposite of tainted, which in flu terms translates into ralphing, the runs and the unpleasant sensation of having been poisoned by Satan. Elle is French for she, as in, she is cruel that H1N1 Virus, widespread in 47 states now. Elle also is a swank Fifties ad-on, like ette for dinette. It sounds real classy.

I first heard the term the other day after ordering my teenage daughter to wash her hands after school. She’s a nail biter, more susceptible than most.

“I just got purelled,” she explained, exhibiting a jellyfish-like, residue bubble in her palm, which she kept afloat because she was undoubtedly fascinated by its staying power.  She has been studying chemistry in school. And I believe pathogen is one of her SAT terms.

Sydney and her peers happily take advantage of the economy, vat-sized, plastic dispensers of the waterless germ fighter stationed in every nook and cranny of her school, from the bathrooms to the cafeteria, library and gym.

At the campus’s recent Grandparents Day buffet breakfast, I watched an elderly dude mistake the jug O’Purell for carbonated water, carelessly pumping a shot into his cup with a puzzled visage. I gently intervened to set him straight. “You don’t want to drink that, Mister.”

The sanitizer, albeit refreshing upon contact with the skin, is not desirable as a beverage, no matter how much the Dunder Mifflinaholic, Meredith Baxter, of The Office fame ingests it for its alcohol content.

Getting purelled sounds ironically similar to getting paroled. In fact, a link exists when you consider hand purifying might prevent weeks off from school, a form of prison for parents who can’t do squat during the duration of the relatively mild but ubiquitously feared illness. I know as a mom who recently emerged from the trenches with her Swine Flu-infected youngest.

“Mommy, I’m bored! Mommy, stop working, I’m bored! ” I call it Purell hell.

In an aggressive no-tolerance approach, our school armed itself with endless stockpiles of the weapon at the beginning of the year hoping it might slow what it cannot prevent. While the CDC says there are  plenty of the H1N1 vaccines to go around, many parents apparently prefer that surefire killer, Purell.

“I definitely think it has slowed down the spread since contact between these kids is so constant, maybe each child is contacting 20 others throughout the day,”  says Dr. David Abusch-Magder, the head of middle school at Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco.

At least the school, which has an impressive recycling and composting program, is using refillable containers. If you must invest is this much plastic, you might as well maximize its shelf life.

In addition to schools,  I’ve spotted the dispensers just about everywhere these days, from Trader Joe’s checkout counters to business offices, exercise studios and even in the cup holder of my own car.  The truth is there is no place to avoid the risk of contamination. Many organisms continue to thrive in my car despite the Purell.

Another truth is that we are creating a population of Purelled humans immune to the small percentage of bacteria resistant to the liquid. Bacteria that don’t die simply reproduce.

Let’s just hope we can conceive of  a way to upcycle all of those plastic dispensers once we are restored.

This is the latest installment in Luanne’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Top image: The Local

Image One:Upyernoz

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