Exerpt from Ecofabulous.com
Confessions From the Teen Summit - in the Words of our Teen BloggersFrom Kylie:
“As the morning unraveled, I found myself on the edge of my seat, hanging on to every word of green gurus that have written exposing, life changing books, have passed bills to ban toxins, have created green companies and so much more. As they passionately talked about phthalates and organic cotton, European Union health standards and buytlated hydroxytoluene, I became mesmerized. I looked around the room and saw smiling, excited faces and I felt the energy of motivated and determined teens and adults alike. We got caught up in a moment where we felt like we could do anything and hearing of the dreams our panelists turned into realities, we realized that we could do anything we set our minds to as well. It was really an exciting moment. How often is it that a 15-year-old girl feels like she has the power to be able to make a real difference? It was a positively empowering moment.”
From Carly:
“I sat in awe and wonder as comments buzzed around the packed room, at the Teens for Safe Cosmetics Summit, this past weekend. We were brainstorming ideas for events, outreach, and anything else that could further the cause we were congregated to discuss. After listening to two hours of inspirational, educational, and magical panel dialog, we were now putting our heads together to create a series of next-steps. It was an amazing atmosphere, this mix of teens and professionals, all working together with unparalleled passion.. A passion so great, you could feel it reverberating throughout the room.”
From Marissa:
“The most significant aspect of the Teen Summit, for me, was watching Annie Leonard's "Story of Stuff" (storyofstuff.com).
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Her movie made me realize that the Teens for Safe Cosmetics campaign is about more than just clean products, but visioning a just world and looking at the life cycle of everything that we use ,and the impact and implications on our global health and well-being. It really put into perspective all that we stand for. Aside from the film, the speakers were amazing, particularly Josh Onysko, founder of Pangea. His ideas and innovations are profound in the realm of green and sustainable products. I only wished the Summit was even longer. I feel blessed to be a part of such a powerful movement.”
