Saturday, July 19, 2008 1:07 AM EDT
Westerly youth stands up for the environment at U.N. Conference
 Lin attended the 2008 Tunza International Children’s
Conference on the Environment in Norway. |
For Alex Lin, summer vacation is a mix of video games, friends and an international conference on the environment hosted by the United Nations.
The articulate 14-year-old and member of the Westerly Innovations Network (WIN) attended the 2008 Tunza International Children’s Conference on the Environment late last month.
Held in Stavanger, Norway, the weeklong conference was hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Young Agenda 21 Foundation of Norway.
The event brought together 700 youths from more than 100 countries to discuss concerns about the environment. Lin and his WIN teammates, a group of local students, have long been proactive in responding to environmental concerns.
The team has educated the local public about the dangers of improperly disposing electronic waste like computers, cell phones and microwaves, which contain heavy metals like lead and mercury that pollute the environment. Their actions spurred changes at the town transfer station, and the passage of legislation both locally and at the Statehouse.
At this year’s conference, Lin, joined by his 10-year-old sister, Cassandra, presented the e-waste education project, which has been the focus of the WIN Team for about the past four years.
Their video presentation drew attention and was posted on the United Nations Environment Programme Web site. The team is also expected to be featured in the next issue of TUNZA magazine, according to Alex’s father, Jason Lin.
Alex Lin described this summer’s conference as fun and educational.
“It’s really eye-opening,” he said of seeing other attendees’ projects and learning about different cultures.
He said the young conference attendees created a list of environmental challenges, which will be passed on to world leaders.
“Raising awareness internationally for me is one of the keys,” he said.
The e-waste initiative has taken the team members — especially Lin — around the world to competitions and conferences.
Lin said he was able to go to this summer’s conference because he and team member Jeff Brody attended the 2005 Children’s World Summit for the Environment in Japan. Lin was selected as the junior board member representing North America at the Japan conference.
They’ve been featured on the Nickelodeon television channel and Lin even appeared on Doritos bags, selected as a young changemaker.
But most importantly, Lin said, this and earlier conferences have provided connections to further the team’s 2008 project, titled “A Green Bridge Across the Digital Divide.” They are working to set up computer and media centers in countries with need and to increase computer literacy, he said.
Lin said they met a Kenyan woman at the conference who has offered to work with the team to set up a computer center in that country.
“Right now we’re focusing on broadening our efforts internationally,” he said. They also hope to spread their message about ewaste to other local towns, he added.
The group has already created a computer center in La Manzanilla, Mexico and an Internet cafe in Cameroon — both places now home to their own WIN teams. Teams have also been established in Kenya and Nigeria.
But it’s not all work for Lin, a student at The Williams School in New London.
He said he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, learning guitar and practicing piano in his spare time.
The articulate 14-year-old and member of the Westerly Innovations Network (WIN) attended the 2008 Tunza International Children’s Conference on the Environment late last month.
Held in Stavanger, Norway, the weeklong conference was hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Young Agenda 21 Foundation of Norway.
The event brought together 700 youths from more than 100 countries to discuss concerns about the environment. Lin and his WIN teammates, a group of local students, have long been proactive in responding to environmental concerns.
The team has educated the local public about the dangers of improperly disposing electronic waste like computers, cell phones and microwaves, which contain heavy metals like lead and mercury that pollute the environment. Their actions spurred changes at the town transfer station, and the passage of legislation both locally and at the Statehouse.
At this year’s conference, Lin, joined by his 10-year-old sister, Cassandra, presented the e-waste education project, which has been the focus of the WIN Team for about the past four years.
Their video presentation drew attention and was posted on the United Nations Environment Programme Web site. The team is also expected to be featured in the next issue of TUNZA magazine, according to Alex’s father, Jason Lin.
Alex Lin described this summer’s conference as fun and educational.
“It’s really eye-opening,” he said of seeing other attendees’ projects and learning about different cultures.
He said the young conference attendees created a list of environmental challenges, which will be passed on to world leaders.
“Raising awareness internationally for me is one of the keys,” he said.
The e-waste initiative has taken the team members — especially Lin — around the world to competitions and conferences.
Lin said he was able to go to this summer’s conference because he and team member Jeff Brody attended the 2005 Children’s World Summit for the Environment in Japan. Lin was selected as the junior board member representing North America at the Japan conference.
They’ve been featured on the Nickelodeon television channel and Lin even appeared on Doritos bags, selected as a young changemaker.
But most importantly, Lin said, this and earlier conferences have provided connections to further the team’s 2008 project, titled “A Green Bridge Across the Digital Divide.” They are working to set up computer and media centers in countries with need and to increase computer literacy, he said.
Lin said they met a Kenyan woman at the conference who has offered to work with the team to set up a computer center in that country.
“Right now we’re focusing on broadening our efforts internationally,” he said. They also hope to spread their message about ewaste to other local towns, he added.
The group has already created a computer center in La Manzanilla, Mexico and an Internet cafe in Cameroon — both places now home to their own WIN teams. Teams have also been established in Kenya and Nigeria.
But it’s not all work for Lin, a student at The Williams School in New London.
He said he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, learning guitar and practicing piano in his spare time.
Jesse Applewhite wrote on Jul 20, 2008 8:32 AM:
" Well, Mr. Lin, I trust you'll sleep comfortably this winter knowing that you and your ilk have prevented America from taping her many sources of energy, that would free us from the domination of foreign oil. I trust you'll sleep soundly ,Mr Lin, during the winter of 2008-2009, knowing that the ploar bears are resting comfortably, while senior citizens on a fixed income IN WESTERLY, are freezing to death due to monsterous home heating bills. "
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