BlogHers ACT Canada: David Suzuki's Nature Challenge for Kids

If you’ve ever taken a moment to look carefully at the sidebar here at BlogHers ACT Canada, you’ll notice we’ve prominently placed a button in the upper right-hand corner. The button features David Suzuki, environmental scientist, activist and one of Canada’s top ten favourite Canadians.

Photo Credit: Matthew Gore, taken during David's visit to Concordia University's rooftop garden.

These days Suzuki spends his time educating regular Canadians about ways to live a greener life, presenting choices for living a sustainable lifestyle that are attainable by every Canadian citizen. The public service messages that are broadcast on Canadian television are very appealing, especially when they highlight one of the great loves of many Canadians: Beer.

A similar series of ads has also appeared, targeting another large population of Canadian citizens who are concerned about the environment: KIDS.

The David Suzuki Foundation’s website features an entire section devoted to his Nature Challenge for Kids. It highlights ten challenges for kids to work toward:

Turn things off! Boy, this one takes me back. Did anyone else have one of those dads who went around the house turning lights off behind the kids, muttering about the hydro bill?
Play outside! “It’s a beautiful day out there,” my dad would also say. He took my brother and I for walks in the woods where we learned about trees, fungi, weather and all sorts of other things. Learning about nature makes kids care about nature.
Be an energy detective! This challenge encourages kids to find sources of energy waste in their home, and to report their findings to their parents.
Eat meat-free meals once a week. BlogHers ACT Canada covered this one back in January. Click here to find some great ideas for meatless meals.
Eat locally. This topic will be covered in depth here at BHAC in the month of July.
Learn about fuel-economy cars. I had to ask my husband about this one this morning, since we’ll be covering this topic in the month of June at BHAC. This challenge encourages kids to learn which types of cars use less gas.
Use kid power to get around. Kids have energy! They should use it to walk, bike, run, rollerblade or skateboard around the neighbourhood, instead of relying on Mom or Dad to give them rides.
Explore your neighbourhood. The David Suzuki Foundation believes that a child who is familiar with his or her neighbourhood will find it easier to get around without the use of automobiles.
Express yourself! Kids should use their creativity to express their feelings about the environment and nature. The Kid Art Auction for Earth Day 2008 is a great example of this.
Share info. Our recent post, entitled How Can Kids Spread the Green Message?, delves into this very challenge.

We encourage YOU to add the David Suzuki Nature Challenge for Kids to the list of kid-friendly bookmarked websites on your home computer. The site includes a section devoted to Parent Resources, too. Have fun!