Kids power

Paper tiger: Kruti Parekh 13, from India promotes environmental awareness through her magic show which she has performed 1700 times. In it, she eats waste paper and produces an endless sheet of recycled paper from her mouth. She also promotes worms! Yes, worms. Put them in any bin of compostable rubbish and they will break it down into rich fertilizer in days. Kruti calls it "The 2 in 1 process - waste disposal and fertilizer all manufacture in one!"

A class act: In the Sultanate of Oman, the "Green Beans" a local youth environmental group have been working so hard it's a wonder they have time for their studies! "We raise money by organising sales and after school movie shows", says Hassan Al Saleh, 17. Hassan told us the money is used to buy acres of rain forest and adopt endangered animals. Twice a year, the Green Beans hold a beach clean-up. "We have come a long way in raising awareness in and out of school. If we all work together, we can make this world a better place.

Kids for the reef: Forty scuba divers from all over the Philippines organised a clean-up programme for the reefs in Batangas, south of Manila. "Kids for the Reef" drew young people into the project collecting waste along the shoreline. The programme made young people aware of how fragile Philippine reefs are. Of 500 known coral species, 400 are found in the Philippines. That's 400 good reasons to get involved!

Planet Xpress: Amy Saunders, 19, from Scotland, UK, is developing a website for young people on global issues. "Planet Xpress is a place to meet people from all over the world, exchange ideas and take positive action," says Amy. "It is run by and for young people. We need more young contributors, web-designers, out-reachers and coordinators.

Power rangers: Essau Lower school in the Gambia has a group of 13 to 14-year-old boys who collect used batteries and move them to a safe site. "We realized that batteries were being dumped allover," said one of them. "Young people are not aware of the health dangers they bring. We are extending this new project to many schools and ally the whole area."

Adapted from "Pachamama", UNEP and PCI, Evans Brothers Limited, UK, 2000