By Marieka Staheli, Teen Ambassador, Climate Hub, Eco Teen Action Network
As our world braced for the impacts of COVID-19 in early February, we all worried about the effects the pandemic would have on us. We saw millions of people lose their jobs and lives and we saw major economic backlash. But we also saw endangered animals repopulate and air pollution decrease. These environmental improvements prompted us to think about the daily changes that people have made to their lives during the quarantine. If people would commute less or commute with green transportation, that alone would make a huge dent in amounts of air pollution.
When demand for masks skyrocketed, our Hub, the Eco Teen Action Network Climate Hub saw an opportunity to spread our message of sustainability in a creative way. Masks. With demand for masks so high, we asked local Arlington seamstress Otgon Altankhuyag and her crew to make masks with messages promoting things like clean energy, resource conservation, and more. Our first mask is a partnership with local Youth-oriented Phoenix Bikes, where we are together selling masks with the message, “Green Your Commute” to raise awareness of clean transportation. We hope to sell these masks to bikers and all who promote clean transportation alternatives. Once we produce more designs and masks, we hope to increase the range of our message to other messages of the UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs with our other teen-led Hubs focused on the SDGs! The masks are sold here on the Global Co Lab Network website! Please support our teens working to make the world more sustainable and get your mask today!
So proud of you dears, your voices are very important our future Community and world ?? keep changing into bright sides our environmental issues.