Question from Julie Roads
I’d like to share with all of you a great way to introduce your children to the green movement.
I moderate a green blog for kids that centers around the bonobo apes. Our hope is that kids (and their adults) will see that what they do in their own backyard affects the bonobos in Africa, and what happens to the bonobos in Africa, affects the kids in their own backyard.
Bonobos are currently being decimated in their native home, the Democratic Republic of Congo, as a result of war and violence, but also because of habitat destruction and the crisis our environment is currently in. Bonobos share 98.7% of our DNA, and in fact, are more similar to us than chimpanzees. We have so much to learn from these apes – because they are the kind of primates that we want to be. You see, they do not wage war, they do not murder, they hardly fight, there is no infanticide in their culture. They solve conflict and resolve tension through touch (to be exact – they are known as the ‘make love, not war’ chimps).
Their habitat is the rainforest, often called the 2nd lung of the Earth, because its destruction would release, all at once, the carbon equivalent of the CO2 created in Great Britain over the last 60 years. In order to help our next generation understand their link to creatures, land, air and water all over this planet, Mathea Levine and Marian Brickner created a book called, I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo. Jane Goodall wrote the afterword and all profits from the book (when bought on our website) go to Jane Goodall’s youth organization, Roots & Shoots, and the Bonobo Conservation Initiative.
Our website offers kids, families and classrooms the interactive opportunity to track and earn points for the green behavior (like using non-toxic cleaners at home!) and you can even adopt a bonobo as a way of making a meaningful donation to frontline efforts. Our blog (www.bonobokids.com/blog) is an ongoing commentary and information source about bonobos, the environment and kids.
All of you in this community understand the importance of being green – and Debra has played a critical role in educating and supporting us all. Of course, I’d love for you all to buy a book, and check out the blog…but, I’m also interested in hearing from you. We are happy to feature green products, events and heroes…so, if you have any or are one, let me know!
