Nick's Big Green Thing
In Nick's Big Green Thing, kids' TV channel Nickelodeon and National Geographic Explorer David de Rothschild, have got together to explain how the small things you do make a BIG difference when it comes to protecting our planet. One of the show's highlights is Nick's Big Green Challenge, where David challenges kids to uncover evidence of global warming – with some rockin' results! NG Kids catches up with David to find out why he's convinced it's kids that hold the key to changing the world for the better…
David and two AOCs have a break with one of their favourite magazines!
NG Kids: Hi, David! Tell us about Nick's Big Green Thing?
David de Rothschild: We thought it was time kids had their own voice, so we sent them off in pairs for a day in London to find proof of climate warming. It was like an eco investigation and the kids were Agents Of Change – we call them AOCs for short.
NGK: What kind of challenges did you set the AOCs?
DR: Well, two were sent to the airport to ask travellers if they really needed to go on their journey, while another pair sent a guy wearing a gorilla costume into a mobile phone store to grab the staff's attention! They then asked if the store had recycling policies or if it knew that Coltan – a mineral used in mobile phones – is mined in the Congo, which is endangering the already almost-extinct mountain gorillas.
Skater boy Oscar shouts it loud: "It’s the small things that make the BIG difference!"
NGK: We bet that gave them food for thought. Any other challenges?
DR: There were 10 challenges in all, including going to Canary Wharf in London, which is full of huge office buildings, to find out why they often left the lights on all night in empty buildings. Another AOC was worried about all the free newspapers floating about London, so he stood on London Bridge and read out the news over a loudspeaker! His solution was that all of London should be wired up to a news Tannoy system, so there'd be no need for newspapers. How cool would that be?!
NGK: What a top idea! But why did you get children to do the challenges instead of grown-ups?
DR: Kids are brilliant at breaking down barriers. For example, some of our AOCs were sent into a supermarket to ask customers if they'd pay 15p for a plastic bag or if they would reuse them. The adults ignored them at first, but eventually the customers listened to what the kids had to say. One lady even came back to the shop later, and said: "Look, I've brought my plastic bag back!" It just goes to show that if you arm people with information, they WILL make the right decisions.
David with his latest AOC recruit, NG Kids' Deputy Editor, Ziggy!
NGK: So you really believe that adults do take notice of what these AOCs are saying?DR: Yes, and that includes the people who are in a position to make changes, such as Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment. The AOCs went along to ask him what he's done to help the fight against global warming, and Mr Benn really took notice of what they were saying. It was awesome!
Join The Green Academy
Do you want to become an Agent Of Change? Then check out For Our Planet at www.adventureecology.com. You can register all of your climate-friendly actions on the site – for example, 'For Our Planet I walked to school' or 'For Our Planet I turned off the lights.' Plus, you can go to other people's pages and see what they've done. Get your friends involved and you can all become AOCs!
Click here to David's In the green seat challenge to see if you match up to him as a climate campaigner