- 0
Journey for the Planet
A Kid’s Five-Week Adventure to Create an Earth-friendly Life
"Journey for the Planet is an environmental adventure. Much more than planting seeds in a milk carton and watching them grow, the focus is on everyday habits and how to take action. There was no mistaking the feeling of empowerment and seriousness of purpose which rippled through the fifth graders.”
—New York Times
Journey for the Planet is a children’s version of Green Living Program and Low Carbon Diet for kids 8 to 12 years old. This program can be delivered in a classroom, after-school club, youth organization or for children of adults taking part in an EcoTeam. It is complemented by a twenty-six-lesson plan educator’s curriculum called the “Coach’s Guide.” Empowerment Institute offers a Journey for the Planet teacher certification.
Overview of Program
Children instinctively realize the importance of saving the planet—not simply because it's their inheritance, but because it's the right thing to do. But many children are held back from taking action because they don't know what to do or how to do it. To be empowered, children need a step-by-step program that gives them support to translate their caring for the Earth into effective action.
Journey for the Planet: A Kid’s 5-Week Adventure to Create an Earth-friendly Life is a fun, engaging illustrated workbook for children ages 8 to 12 who want to make a difference for the world. Following the tried and tested methodology of the Green Living and Low Carbon Diet programs, this children's version guides young people through a series of action steps that can impact both climate change and the environment as a whole.
How the Program Works
The Journey for the Planet program has five sections dealing with garbage, water, energy, eco-wise consuming, and empowering others. Each has its own cartoon animal guide to lead the way. The forty-six actions in the program include:
- "No Garbage Lunches"—using reusable packaging,
- "AquaCop"—hunting down dripping faucets,
- "Chill Out in Your Room"—finding air leaks that cause energy loss,
- "Squash Party"—carpooling,
- "Charge It!"—switching to rechargeable batteries,
- "What Goes Around Came Around"—buying recycled paper products.
Each action is worth a certain number of points. Children who complete enough actions earn a "Global Hero" certificate which can be downloaded.
Look Inside the Book
Coach's Guide (Educator's Curriculum)
The Coach's Guide assumes that you, the coach, are working with a group of children. This allows you to add two important features to the children's program: a peer support system and an adult support system. This support increases the likelihood of a successful journey for the children.
The Coach's Guide provides a set of suggested activities for each of the Journey's five sections. Each section is designed to be completed in one week, and each section has a menu of five activities. If you work with the children throughout the week, you can choose to do an activity each day for five days. Although, the program is designed for each section to be completed in one week, you can design any number of variations for the program's delivery.
Become Certified in Teaching Journey for the Planet
Empowerment Institute offers a teacher certification in leading Journey for the Planet. It can be used to teach the program directly and train other teachers to deliver the program in both formal and nonformal education settings. This certification program includes consultation on how to customize Journey for the Planet to the unique needs of a school or other educational setting, training and training scripts for teaching about the program, and empowerment training and coaching skills to support teachers in facilitating the program. To find out more, click here.
Customize Journey for the Planet for Your School
Empowerment Institute offers a Journey for the Planet teacher training customized to the specific needs of the school or educational institution. For more information contact: David Gershon.
Download Journey for the Planet Poster
Download Global Hero Certificate
This certificate is awarded to students who achieve a certain level of Global Hero points for taking action.
Journey for the Planet Testimonials
"I learned a lot of different ways to help the environment. It wasn't hard at all. I will definitely continue to do Earth Actions such as wear a sweater to conserve energy. It's up to us to make a difference."
– Paul Drexhage, 6th grade, Sturbridge, MA
"The children's enthusiasm is fabulous and their desire to do more and more, beyond the original plan, is very satisfying. When two 4th grade students came in the garden and very proudly shared their "no-garbage lunches" with me, I knew this was a fantastic journey they were on indeed."
– Caprice Potter, 4th grade teacher, Santa Cruz, CA