Posted by: Izz
6:30am
Dex, why are you trying to put that tree branch in an envelope?
A Regular Helping of GREENS
MAY 25, 2007
Posted by: Izz
Photo credit: JGI / Bill Wallauer
Posted by: Dex
6:32am
I heard that there are chimps in countries in Africa that need more trees. Those chimps need somewhere to live. I'm just trying to do my bit.
Posted by: Izz
6:33am
I don't think that'll work, Dex. And even if you DO manage to get it in a mailbox, the post office will never forgive you.
Posted by: Dex
6:34am
Oh, I wasn't going to use my mailbox. I was going to drop it off at the branch office. Get it? The BRANCH office?
Posted by: Izz
6:35am
Aaaaah! Okay, now it's me who won't forgive you. If you want to help, talk to my friend Clare. She has a Web site called Trees for Chimps.
Posted by: Dex
6:36am
Hey, Clare. So what's this Trees for Chimps thing? Have you discovered a secret branch-stuffing technique?
Posted by: Clare
6:38am
Not exactly. (Izz, you're right. He IS weird!) Trees for Chimps is my Web site. I sell stuff there to raise money for Roots & Shoots, who are trying to collect $10,000 for Jane Goodall's ReBirth the Earth campaign. With the money we donate, they'll plant tree nurseries in Tanzania in Africa. They're trying to rebuild chimp habitats.
Posted by: Dex
6:40am
That's awesome! Izz, you're right. That IS better than sending trees through the mail.
Posted by: Izz
6:43am
Clare, how did you start doing all this?
Posted by: Clare
6:45am
I joined the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council, and met other kids on the council. After hearing their stories and goals, I was really inspired to take a step forward in my own projects.
Posted by: Dex
6:47am
So what are you selling on your site to raise money?
Posted by: Clare
6:49am
They're called XSProject bags. They're made in Jakarta in Indonesia. The bags are put together from reused materials, mostly detergent bottles and toothpaste tubes collected by people who pick through Jakarta's trash piles. XSProject provides jobs education and health care for poor people in Indonesia, while taking care of the environment at the same time. So far I've raised around four hundred dollars.
Posted by: Izz
6:52am
Cool! These bags are great. We're all about recycling here, you know.
Posted by: Dex
6:57am
And what's Roots and Shoots all about?
Posted by: Clare
7:03am
Roots & Shoots is a youth program of the Jane Goodall Institute that is taking action to make positive changes in communities, animals and the environment. The Roots & Shoots network stretches out across the globe, taking action in over 100 countries. We gather all over the world to share our inspiration and compassion for the earth we call home. Projects range from picking up garbage on the beach to saving an endangered species.
Posted by: Izz
7:05am
So what can kids like us do to get involved?
Posted by: Clare
7:07am
Anyone can make a difference — big or small! Do your best and try to get others involved, or better yet join Roots & Shoots.
Posted by: Dex
7:09am
Thanks, Clare.
Posted by: Izz
7:10am
Dex, I think those ice cubes you're mailing to the South Pole are going to melt before they get there.
