Ally Update!

"My transition to Emory has been a pretty smooth one.  My favorite part of college so far is definitely my dorm room.  It is pretty big and very clean, and the best part is that it is LEED certified."

 - Ally Maize

Our amazing founder, Ally Maize started a new adventure as she packed her bags and left for college. Miss Ally is starting her freshman year at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In true Ally fashion, she is starting the year off in a bright shade of green! Emory University has the most LEED-certified building space among campuses in America, and has 2 dorms designated to being environmentally aware and conscientious. In order to live in these particular dorms, it is required that students complete and submit a sustainability application, of course our Ally Maize is one of the students who chose to make this pledge and is loving her "green" lifestyle so far! If you are wondering what exactly makes these dorms different from the others, here are a few of the ways that these particular buildings go above and beyond in keeping it green:

 - 84% of the construction waste was recycled.
 - Each floor uses bamboo flooring instead of hardwood.
 - All paints and sealants used were low VOC
 - Energy monitors are used to display energy consumption within the building.
 - In an effort to conserve water, roof storm water and surface water will be filtered into a bio-retention area
    near the halls and will be reused in resident hall toilets
 - Solar panels are used to power the water pumps which supply water to toilets.
 -  Plumbing in these dorms are designed to use less water than the average bathrooms.
 - An air conditioning system that features an energy recovery system, which basically increases air quality and  
    reduces energy use.

Pretty cool, right? Having dorms such as these, Emory is taking a huge step, not only in doing their part to help the environment, but in furthering "green" habits in their students. We are so excited for Ally as she starts this new chapter of her life, and wish her nothing but the best! We know that she will continue to make a difference during her time at Emory, just as she did during her time at Archer. Check out the photos below of Ally's orientation week and her entry into her sustainable dorm!

Ally getting ready to sign her green pledge!

Do you know which is not recyclable? 

What to recycle? 

Come Meet Our New Student President: Chloe Mills

Ever since I can remember, I have tagged along side my Mom as she went to hundreds of different environmental fundraisers, benefits, luncheons and parties. When I was little, I knew there was some good reason we were going to all of these events, but I wasn’t really sure why. Finally around the age of 10 or 12, I understood the reason. The reason was our environment. I wanted to help save our environment but, I didn’t know what I could  do personally. I recycled the bottles I used, and I always reminded my Mom to bring the reusable bags into the grocery store, but I always had the feeling it wasn’t enough. Jump ahead a couple years to when I met Ally Maize. She knew how interested in the environment I was and how passionate I was to try and save it, so she told me about GYM. Immediately I wanted to be a part of it. From the start, I loved GYM’s idea of educating youth, since they are the future. Now that Ally is off to college, she is handing over the reins to me. Believe me I know i have big shoes to fill but I have great aspirations for GYM. I want to be the one to transition GYM from a small organization of passionate environmentalists to a nationwide and maybe one day internationally known organization. 

Come Meet Our New Director: Megan Smith

Hello GYM Members! My name is Megan Smith, and I am one of the new faces you will hopefully getting to know over here at The Green Youth Movement. I am so ecstatic to be coming on board as GYM's new Director, and I cannot wait to get the ball rolling with this awesome organization! For all of you current members: I am very excited to meet all of you and continue to learn about all of the amazing things you have already done, for all of you new readers: I am every excited to get you involved with GYM and get you as pumped about our cause as our current members are.

Little bit of background info on me: I graduated from the University of Redlands in 2007 with my BA in English Literature. I was always juggling as many things as I could: with a fellow student I helped re-establish our University's musical theater program where I acted on the Board as the Director of Events, I participated in our University's Chapel Singers which toured throughout Hawaii and California, I held various internships, and was lucky enough to play the lead in a few musicals. My career focus was on entertainment PR and special event coordination; I was fortunate enough to work with some of Hollywood's most elite celebrities at some of the industry's hottest events. While I loved every second of all of the glitz and glamor, once I graduated I really wanted to be able to use my skills to serve some higher purpose, which is what lead me to working with non profit organizations. I briefly worked as the Community Outreach Coordinator with an organization called Trash 4 Teaching which focused on teaching kids how to reduce, reuse, and recycle - this company is where I began my advocacy for environmental awareness.  Since then I have once again, been juggling...I still keep my foot in the entertainment door and can be found covering various red carpet events from time to time, DJing or MCing corporate events, and now and again you will still find me on stage when time allows!

When I discovered GYM, I immediately was drawn to it. As someone who considered myself a go-getter during my academic years, I was very impressed with Ally's ambition and assertiveness. It takes a lot of passion and drive to be a self starter like Ally, and I firmly believe that we need more youth like her to set an example and get the future generations fired up to take a stand and lead us where ever their dreams take us. I am very much looking forward to continuing on with all of the wonderful work Ally and her supporters have already done, and cannot wait to see all of the tremendous things I know GYM will accomplish!

Come Meet Our Founder: Ally Maize

My name is Ally Maize and I am passionate about the environment and I am taking a stance to help with issues regarding global warming.  I have built this site not only as a resource for those people seeking information but for those people who want to try to make a difference and help our environment.

As founder of GYM, I hope to one day garner the support of politicians and educators to create a practical and research based environmental course of study that would ultimately become integrated in every elementary school education curriculum across the nation.

It is my belief that providing youth with meaningful and practical methods of conserving and utilizing resources is the key to changing the direction of global warming.  As the effects of global warming continue to advance from a theoretical construct to a reality, it is necessary that each of us assume responsibly to make a difference. Establishing The Green Youth Movement has been my way to embrace what I regard as one of the most significant issue that plagues our future.

The Green Youth Movement: Who We Are.

The Green Youth Movement is a non profit organization that is striving to implement environmental awareness in today's youth. The mission of GYM is to educate kids and teens about eco-friendly behavior, how to be more environmentally conscientious, and to spread the word on how small steps can make a big difference for the future. Sure, we have a pretty awesome mission statement, but do you want to know what is really incredible about GYM? The Green Youth Movement was founded by a teen, and all of the incredible things we are doing? You guessed it...it's all powered by youth. We believe that our youth is our future, and all of our GYM students are taking huge strides to make an impact on the world, educate those around them on how to be more green, and inspire as many as possible to take a stand in preserving our amazing planet. 

As we begin blogging about all of our adventures, we hope that you will come along for the ride. Keep checking in for new blogs on some new faces that you will be getting acquainted with at GYM, as well as blogs on our upcoming events, ways to live green, and other things that we promise will be entertaining! ;)