Janet Wilson
Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet
Second Story Press, 2010.

Ages 9-12

In her 2008 book One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists, Janet Wilson's profiled children who are helping making the world a more peaceful place. With her latest book, Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet, she offers a new roadmap of inspiration for people of every generation. Twelve-year-old Alec Loorz, founder of Kids Versus Global Warming reminds readers on the back cover that “We’re more than just the future.  We’re the present.  We can make a difference now.  We don’t have to wait until we’re grown up.”

Wilson profiles some of the amazing young people from all over the world, ranging in age from seven to seventeen, whose concern—and sometimes outrage—inspired them to become environmental activists before they could legally vote.  We learn about William Kamkwamba, the 14-year-old Malawi boy who, when his family could no longer afford school fees, spent his time making a windmill out of cast-off bicycle parts to bring electricity to his village for the first time.  Seven-year-old Ryan Hreljac of Canada thought it unfair that poor children in some countries had to walk miles for clean water while he had only to walk steps to the nearest tap, so he created a foundation that has raised funds for hundreds of wells and water sanitation projects in 16 countries.

Accompanying the succinct stories of these kids’ amazing success are websites to the organizations they have helped create, links to watch speeches and short films made by youth on the topic of environmental crisis, and simple things every kid can do—such as giving their school an e-report card to highlight ways it could reduce its carbon footprint, starting a club, writing elected officials, and raising awareness through art, performance, filmmaking, or blogging.

Canadian Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who addressed the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 12, says “young people have a special power—pester power.” Indeed, coupled with persistence, children have the power to capture the hearts and minds of leaders and media makers in ways that adults cannot. These examples make it clear that children with ideals and convictions can do so much more than stand by and wait until they are older to make a difference, and their stories are an inspiration to people everywhere and of every age. 

Abigail Sawyer
December 2010