A teenage author has used her experiences living abroad as inspiration for a book about how kids can turn their love for the environment into meaningful action — one easy step at a time.
As WFSB detailed, Luna Hansen and her mother, Kimberly Haidinger, began to realize their passion for protecting the planet during their two years in Denmark, a leading country in sustainability.
Denmark generates nearly 72% of its energy from clean sources, and 24% of its workers are dedicated to green objectives, according to the country’s tourism organization. The capital city of Copenhagen even rewards visitors for making eco-friendly decisions.
“They really cared about the planet a lot. The inspiration was all around us,” Hansen said.
The teen from Farmington, Connecticut, illustrated her book — titled “A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism” — on cut-up pieces of paper.
She and her mom also focused on using simple language that would connect with young learners and empower them to incorporate climate-friendly practices in their daily routines.
Readers can learn about how avoiding single-use items, reducing food waste by composting, and eating more plant-based foods can be fun and collectively make a difference when people around the world join in, leading to cleaner communities and a cooler planet in the future.
“If everyone can just do some of these little things at home, we can really change our planet,” Hansen told WFSB.
“It’s a topic that can sometimes be so scary we look away from it, we have to not think about it, but we put this together in such a way, through Luna’s drawings and the words we chose, it’s really positive,” Haidinger added. “People will feel, ‘OK, I get it, and I know what I can do.'”
In May, Haidinger revealed in a joint post on Instagram with Bannon River Books, a self-publisher that specializes in nonfiction and kids’ books, that the author’s copy of “A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism” was officially in her hands.
The book is now available for sale on platforms such as Amazon.
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