The green environmental movement is all about preserving our earth for generations to come, but in order to truly make a difference, we also must turn our focus on educating the younger generations so that they can continue the movement of preserving and protecting the earth.
It is during childhood that our malleable minds learn the habits and skills that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. And so if we reach children early in their development with positive messages, they will continue to put those messages into practice into their adulthood.
The Global Green Pals are a line of eco-friendly and educational dolls that aim to reach children at an early age to teach them the importance of environmental stewardship. Each doll has its own unique story and character that supports environmentally friendly action and teaches the children positive messages for working towards a greener earth as they grow up.
Carbon Offset Chet is the group’s ringleader, as he flies around the world in his solar airplane looking for other ‘children’ who enjoy helping out the environment. So far, he has been joined by Clean Air Kate who fights pollution, Pani Rani (which translates to Water Princess in Hindi) who tries to save water, Pink Coral Laurel who helps protect the earth’s oceans, and Recycle Kyle.
Creator Malini Goel believes these dolls make learning about the environment fun and bring important issues to light in a fun way.
“Children start learning at an early age. If you can give them good things to learn and good things to play with, then you can start having a positive impact,” said Goel.
Each of the five dolls have a unique identity and story card that the child will receive along with the dolls. On the card is the dolls’ story along with a short message that brings up environmental issues, and suggests easy ways for kids to contribute in their societies so they can become ‘global green pals’ as well.
“The next generation will be the ones that make our world. We hope to inspire the future ambassadors of tomorrow,” said Goel.
These dolls can help inspire a new generation of eco-ambassadors and teach children the importance of doing their part in even the smallest ways to help out our planet.
Restoration Gallery, LLC, the company that produces the dolls, is proving that they can walk the walk too. Each of the 12” soft plush dolls are made of 100 percent organic cotton and stuffed with a material made from recycled plastic bottles. They use minimal packaging, and even the story cards are made of recycled paper. The dolls were awarded a seal of excellence for being eco-friendly.
The responsibility doesn’t end there either. The factory that produces the dolls was awarded a seal of “garments without guilt,” which means the factory has excellent working conditions, higher than average wages, and no underage workers, according to Goel. And a percentage of the profits from the sale of the dolls will be donated to a consortium of NGOs called 1% For the Planet.
Restoration Gallery was founded through the efforts of Malini Goel and her partner and friend Helena Robertson, who hope that their philosophy of education through play will inspire children around the globe to take action and responsibility for our planet for years to come.
"Our hope is that children will come away learning that little actions can make a big difference when it comes to the environment, whether it be turning off a faucet, recycling, planting a tree or spreading the word!" Robertson said.
Source: BecauseAction.com
