Among the most passionate members of the green movement are young people—in particular teenagers—who are actively working to make the world a more sustainable place. Teens Turning Green, based in Sausalito, California, started out as a small group of high school students studying unusually high breast cancer rates in Marin County in 2002 in conjunction with the Marin Cancer Project, now known as Search for the Cause. Teens Turning Green stemmed from this initial group of students and has turned into a national movement of teens who investigate environmental toxins in their daily lives, schools, and communities. They work to transform the world through the information they gather, informing other teens about an eco-friendly lifestyle through peer-to-peer education, outreach programs, youth mentorship, and leadership training.
The project Teens for Safe Cosmetics was also founded as part of Search for the Cause. The campaign for non-toxic makeup and other cosmetics spread throughout the U.S. and in 2008, Teens for Healthy Schools was launched as a way for teenagers to investigate their school campuses and find greener solutions to replace unsafe products and practices.
The newest venture by Teens Turning Green is the Teens Turning Green Collection. High school students and skin care experts developed a collection of eco-body-care products with several innovative green skin-care companies. The collection offers a brand designed specifically for young people with products that are safe, healthy, and effective. This line of products for teenagers was made available at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide in September 2009. The products all attain Whole Foods Market “Premium Body Care Standard,” and were vetted by Teens Turning Green to ensure the products were not only safe but also effective on teenage skin and that they incorporate sustainable packing. The products come from seven companies: Benedetta, Depth, EO Products, Pomega5, Aafiia, Astara, and Terra Naturals. Judi Shils, director of Teens for Sate Cosmetics, said the product line encompasses all aspects of an eco-friendly lifestyle that impacts teens every day, and that the Teens Turning Green collection is meant to inspire teens not to choose beauty over health. The products include everything from mango shea body butter to soaps, facial cleansers, and moisturizers. A portion of sales from all Teens Turning Green products will be donated to Teens for Safe Cosmetics.
Teens for Safe Cosmetics also launched a petition to ban lipstick with lead after finding in 2007 that lipsticks from most top brands contain detectable levels of lead that can be ingested directly by the wearer. Last spring, Teens Turning Green developed the Project Green Prom, sponsored by Whole Foods, as a challenge to high school students to “green” their proms by making educated and informed decisions about purchases for their proms, such as eco-friendly hair, makeup, skin and body products, and prom attire, accessories, and flowers.
Let’s hope this organization of young activists continues to add new chapters and continue its push to inspire other teenagers to take a greener route.
