Congratulations to this week’s Climate Community Citizen of the Week Ally Maize, founder of Green Youth Movement.
We first met Ally of a tree planting project that took place on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills Ca. Recently Ally was a volunteer at our eco-bash held with The Green Girls. We are so pleased to finally have Ally as one of our weekly winners….
The following is background information that Ally has shared with us:
After becoming impassioned toward the eco-system’s plight when researching cars at the tender age of 15, Ally Maize decided she would take it upon herself to do something good for the environment.
She began slowly by employing reusable grocery bags instead of using plastic, changing her hot water heating system inside her house to tankless, and adding solar panels on the roof. What followed these personal improvements was nothing short of incredible for a 15-year-old, newly set out to save the world: the creation of the Green Youth Movement (GYM), an organization to educate kids and teens about global warming and pressing environmental issues.
GYM promotes a thoughtful mindset that values the earth and our future in hopes of inspiring awareness and giving a broad and easily applicable understanding of what it means to “live green.” www.GreenYouthMovement.org
In the two years since its inception, GYM has made incredible strides in the education and participation of adolescents by making a name for itself among green Los Angeles nonprofits. From simple, but important, plantings to hosting an eco-friendly fashion show during LA’s Fashion Week, to presenting their 2009 “Inspiration Award” to former Vice President Al Gore, and the 2010 “ Humanitarian Award” to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, GYM is increasingly visible and influential to its target audience.
More recently, Ally Maize was named amongst one of our country’s top 10 most influential green heroes. The international web site, Smart 2 Be Green, chose Ally as one of the top 10 Green Heroes for 2009. Ally was named number 4! Ally has also been nominated by “The Daily Green” as one of their 2010 Green Heroes. The Daily Green Award honors individuals who have helped take green to the mainstream-to the “heart” of the American people. Most recently, Ally Maize and GYM have been asked to help the City of Los Angeles, CA launch a new pilot program called “RecycleBank”, on Earth Day 2010. Ally Maize is now the voice on LA’s green youth. This pilot program compensates households for recycling. The goal is to push the city toward zero waste.
Ally is looking toward the future when many are stuck only paying attention to the present.
We say – congratulations again Ally – and keep up the great work!
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