A third grader from New Jersey was the spark that inspired Amy Owen to bring the Cool the Earth program to her school in Los Angeles.  Amy was talking to her friend's daughter, Ella, who had been inspired by the program at  Unity Charter School in New Jersey, and according to her mom, had "blossomed into an environmental activist."    Amy loved the sound of the program, with teachers dressing up in polar bear costumes to teach them about climate change. She launched the program at Crescent Heights Language Arts and Social Justice Magnet School and has run the program for 3 years, inspiring hundreds of students and families to take carbon-reducing actions. 

Amy's favorite part of being a team leader is hearing the kids comments. ""Ms. Owen, we changed our lightbulbs!"  "I walk to school EVERY day!"  "At my house we recycle more better now!" "Paper is a tree, don't waste it!"  These grammatically imperfect nuggets of enthusiastic environmentalism really encourage me for our future," Amy says.

Cool the Earth has been an important component in her school's commitment to work on Millenium Development Goals that include Environmental Sustainability.   Amy has gone the extra mile and created a weebly page to keep her school community informed about the program and help them access the Cool the Earth program materials.

As Amy and Ella's stories both demonstrate, one person--no matter how little--can make a huge difference!