On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day…there are millions of individuals in this country with a bit of free time and an overwhelming desire to take action to make their communities and their planet better; an army of willing individuals who are quietly changing the world but who need more help if they are to reach their full potential. Who are these agents of change? Look around you, I have no doubt you encounter them everyday…you may even have them in your home. That’s right…youth. The power they have is amazing.

A year ago I had the opportunity to work with a group of three middle school boys who, as part of a service project in their community, did some research and found that lead wheel weights through improper disposal cause a considerable amount of lead pollution in the environment. These young men took matters into their own hands and worked tirelessly to pass a law in the state of Iowa to phase out lead wheel weights on state vehicles. Then the EPA cited the program as one of the reasons they are re-assessing their position on lead wheel weights, a development that will affect 300 million Americans across the country. I have seen other projects as well, from Title 1 elementary school students in South Florida growing a garden and selling the produce into the local community,to a high school in Seattle reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by several tons each year . I have been all over the country and have seen countless programs such as these.

And now EarthEcho International has launched a campaign to bring much-needed resources and tools to build a community of best practice that will help to revolutionize this growing movement. In partnership with the leading youth service organizations and national education groups in the nation, we are launching a preview of the Water Planet Challenge (www.waterplanetchallenge.org) this week.This preview site includes a service-learning guide sponsored by Participant Media, and is being launched in tandem with the Disneynature film Oceans that premiers on Earth Day. This is only the beginning, however—we continue to develop the program and will constantly add more resources over the summer in preparation time for a full launch in the fall of 2010.

As the Greek philosopher Plato once wrote, “Youth are not vessels to be filled but flames to be lit.” The Water Planet Challenge will light the flames of a whole new generation, giving them the tools and knowledge to build the kind of sustainable future we all dream of.

I just got back from the farmer’s market this morning with a week’s worth of organic produce and a lot on my mind. Usually, the market is a place for me to escape to on Sunday mornings, with my fabric shopping bags in tow, and reconnect with my values and my community. I love to chat with the local farmers about their produce and hear the wonderful stories about their farms and their families. I feel so happy as I peruse their wooden box stalls and take in the natural diversity in size and shape and color that indicate freshness and a lack of chemical pesticides. It feels so different from the waxy, uniform perfection found in conventional supermarkets and produced and packaged at enormous factory farms owned by multinational conglomerates. Here, I can feel close to the people who produce my food and feel good about knowing that my patronage can help to ensure their continued existence.

Today I heard that Priscilla the milk cow is sick but expected to recover soon, the creamer’s wife invented a new seasoning for her feta cheese, and Bluebell, the buffalo rancher’s favorite dog, is expecting puppies next month. I tasted no less than a dozen different types of apple while happily comparing flavor and consistency with the farmer’s daughter. But I also heard about the difficulties the produce farmers had this past winter with the bizarre weather we’ve had this past season, yoyo-ing between hot and cold all winter long. There is no doubt that climate change, as it continues to mold our future with unsettling consequences for all of us, will have a real impact on local farmers.

Just a few weeks ago, farmers in Australia were warned by a climate change forum that they might have to make some changes to their agricultural mix and reform some of their farming practices because of climate change. In Malawi—a poverty stricken country in Africa that is regularly ravaged by drought and famine—climate change threatens what little agriculture the people do have. In Scotland, farmers are experiencing what some call “climate chaos” in the form of reduced snow cover, more flooding and increased risk of landslides. And in the Washington DC area, local farmers feel just as concerned and just as threatened.

As the saying goes, there has never been a better time to “buy local, think global”. Find a farmer’s market in your area and read a few tips before starting out. After all, do you really need a banana that has been flown in from Ecuador? Or will a locally grown apple taste just as good? I choose the apple.

I love seafood but there is so much of it I won’t eat because it’s not sustainable. “So, what IS sustainable?” is a question I get a lot. Check out this video blog by Brian Halweil of the Worldwatch Institute. It says it all!

Several chefs in the Washington, DC, area are have made a commitment to sustainable seafood in their restaurants. Today’s Washington Post article highlights the good work that our friend Barton Seaver is doing at his new restaurant Hook. EarthEcho is happy to be working with Barton and his staff to help them communicate their messages of sustainability.

If you haven’t already done so, download a Seafood Watch Pocket Guide and check out other ways you can spread the word about sustainable seafood.

So you’re off to do your grocery shopping, equipped with a list of the essential ingredients for the dinner you’ll be making tonight for your friends. You get to the store and are faced with a now-familiar dilemma - to buy organic or conventional? Does it matter? Will your friends be able to tell the difference?

In short, yes and yes (unless their diet usually consists of frozen pizzas). In general, organic ingredients taste better, are healthier for you, and are better for the planet. Certified organic food is free of pesticides, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. That translates to more flavor and less residue and additives in your body and in the earth and waterways.

If you want to buy organic but are on a budget, try out a couple of products at a time, and decide what you like and what you can afford.

• Start with the ‘dirty dozen.’ If you haven’t heard of it yet, this is a list of 12 fruits and veggies that contain the most pesticides. Since pesticides are not in our recommended daily allowance, it’s best to keep them out of your diet!
• Patronize local stores and resources. The average supermarket food travels 2500 miles - that’s a lot of carbon dioxide emissions for those potatoes. Check out the Eat Well Guide for local sources of meat and dairy, Organic Kitchen for general products, or your local community center for local organic stores and farmer’s markets.

And, to reward yourself for all that shopping, why not pick up a bar of organic chocolate - it’s ‘healthy’ and you’re doing a good deed for the planet!