Be a Part of the Ripple Effect

Photo: Andrea, Sam and Sara, who are all members of Ripple Effect, at the recent Bow River Basin Council meeting that they attended

Being green is a definite trend these days and teens are taking action in their communities to further eco-causes.

In March 2009, 10 junior high and high-school students from all over Calgary interested in saving the environment formed a group called "Ripple Effect - Calgary Current," in association with the United Nations Association in Canada.

As a member of this group, I can say that we, the youth in Calgary, think that our planet is worth saving and that we can help, one step at a time. Member Ivan puts it perfectly: "If we educate people on the importance of water, and what it means to others in different countries, all of us would be more likely to take care of this valuable resource."

Through this group, I've learned that each Calgarian uses almost 500 litres of water every day. Just imagine 250 two-litre pop bottles filled with water; it seems like a big number because it is - and that's just one person in one day! But, if everyone started adopting certain habits, like taking shorter showers or turning off the tap while brushing their teeth, we could eventually reduce this number.

As you've probably guessed, Ripple Effect - Calgary Current is focused on water awareness and conservation. In order for us to educate others though, we first have to be educated ourselves. So last July, we sent two members, Erin and Laura, to Niagara Falls to participate in an International Joint Commission water forum, and in September, we all went rafting down the Bow River to learn about its ecosystem. Recently, we've sent members to the Bow River Basin Council Water Forum and to the Canimun in Vancouver and later this year, we intend to participate in the Model Arctic Council in Whitehorse.

With all the information we gather and learn from these experiences, we also feel the need to share this knowledge with Calgarians. So we prepare presentations about the reality of our water issues versus society's view on water issues and take our presentations to groups around the city, such as a recent presentation to a group of Brownies from the Girl Guides of Canada. After all, did you know that it takes 435 litres of water to produce only one loaf of bread? If that's how much it takes to produce one loaf of bread, think of how much water it takes to produce something huge like a car!

The youth are the future, so we need to make sure that the youth of today are aware of these issues so that they can do something about it!

It's up to us, the youth of Calgary, to take action and help save our environment. So be green - everyone's doing it and it's the right thing to do for our world.