Health and the Environment: Teens Take Action

Start your next classroom conversation on health and the environment with two hot topics just published in Community Action from Massachusetts Teachers’ Domain: Digital Media for MA Educators.

Students will learn that the European Union, recognizing the potential health effects of toxic chemicals in cosmetics, has already banned 1,000+ chemicals from use while the U.S. has banned only about 10 chemicals, and that many cosmetics companies have chosen not to sell the safer versions here.  A short clip for grades 6-12, Teens for Safe Cosmetics, follows highly effective teen lobbyists as they campaign for greater safety, such as  Jessica, a leader for Teens for Safe Cosmetics, and a group of young women who educated people about a toxic chemical used in nail polish and lobbied for the California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005.

In another Community Action video, also for grades 6-12, Food Justice is adapted from one created by urban high school students in collaboration with the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, discussing problems in food systems and what can be done about them.

These videos, with content that spans K-12, provide authentic, real-world context and are accompanied by background essays, discussion questions and standards.

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