The Twins Teaching a Coastal Town to Clean Up Its Act
Between ballet lessons and tae kwon do, these twin sisters rally to protect the earth.
By Beth Dreher from Reader's Digest February 2012
Who: Allison and Jillian Samowitz, 15
What: Boosting their town’s “green IQ”
Where: Golden Beach, Florida
The images were shocking: Allison Samowitz and her twin sister, Jillian, watched the 2010 BP oil spill on TV with their hearts sinking. “We live right on the beach, and we heard about tarballs and how the spill affected the ocean’s ecosystem,” says Allison. “It was just devastating, and we were afraid it would happen here.” The coastal towns along the Gulf of Mexico didn’t feel that far away from their little Golden Beach anymore.
The sisters studied the conservation habits of their friends and neighbors. “We’re a small town of 360 homes, and we found out only 20 percent of them recycled!” Allison says incredulously.
Moved to act, they first planned a town fair with demonstrations about how ordinary people could make lasting changes to the environment. They persuaded 12 local companies to join them and attracted a crowd of about 200 people. On the scene were hybrid cars and booths where volunteers and company representatives accepted used electronic equipment, eyeglasses, books, and sneakers — all for recycling. The girls are planning another fair this year.
“It’s an education campaign,” says Allison. “People don’t know, but there are so many simple things they can do every day that can become second nature.”
Adds their dad, Harvey, “They’re basically optimists.”
Allison now reports on the environment for her school’s television station. Both girls lend their time to various recycling projects around town, such as giving old toys to children’s charities and collecting used crayons — which are often dumped in landfills — to melt down for reuse.
And should anyone think that they’re awfully single-minded, the sisters have a healthy set of other interests: ballet, tae kwon do, lacrosse, and deep-sea diving with their dad. “We, I, blink — that’s my sleep,” says Allison.
The example of these brave, all-round and optimist twin sisters is exciting! Their great fair is the act of not teenagers, but of the mature,inteligence people, people with their aime in life. Allison and Jillian Samowitz don't want to be the witnesses of what is happening in the world, they want to act and change the world for the better.If the people don't try to change the world around them, the world will change them itself!
ОтветитьУдалитьThere is nothing to do but to respect these single-minded girls! And we must to follow their bright example! Their parents must be really proud of them.
As for me, I am very glad that there are such kind of people, who don't stay indifferent to the outside world and try to act! Our world needs such people!
Thank You very much for such amazing peace of information!
Emirova F.
Well,that's a good article for all people to read.We ca see from here that we don't always need a lot of people to do something for our world-there are two girls who made a big change.Anf if Government can't take care of such things,we should do something about our environmental problems!
ОтветитьУдалитьI'm very glad and proud of these two young ladies who know what they want,and do everything they can just to make their plans come true!
It's a very good thing to think about in our lives about places where we live,may be we can make our life better?
Thank you for posting such an interesting article!The first thing that I would like to point out is that these girls are very talanted creatures.They persuaded so much companies and people! Not every person can do so. I am sure that they will change the world for better and make people happier and healthier.
ОтветитьУдалитьTwins are really optimists, like their father mentioned...may be another one could say: "Oh! We won`t be able fight with the polution" and "We gonna die!!!" BUT these girls see the world in more light way and they have hopes of changing the problem and have found the way out!
And to sum up! People be optimists and don`t be angry to other people and don`t judge them because the person who can change something may even YOU!
Thankk you!
I think we do need such people like these twins. They show an excellent example how should we care about our environment, and for our nature as well. They give us some motivation what to do, how should we try to preserve nature, because if there won't be any men to save and care about it, our world will change itself easily, to the worse way. It can be a matter of pride, honor or conscience, whatever, every single person should care about it even a bit.
ОтветитьУдалитьGlad for these girls, for that they do with love. Their enthusiasm can inspire a lot of people to act.
I think each of us have ever dreamed to make something great.These twins watched TV and understood they are able to protect their little piece of world-their coastline. They acted locally but,thought globally! I'm sure if each would sweep before his own door, we should have a clean city!Don't be indifferent to what is going on!First of all it's very important to start from ourselves,if you throw the sweet wrapper into litter-bin but not out of it,you will make the first step in world's salvation!
ОтветитьУдалитьIt is fine when people want to change the world for the better. Also that they do it. I think that these girls is an example for us. All of us too can make this world happier. We shouldn't be indifferent. Thanks for article. I hope that it will inspire many people.
ОтветитьУдалитьI am delighted with these girls!They do care about the nature, about our home.They do all their best for make their thoughts about saving the nature come true.Yes, they act locally, think globally but they do their little first steps to their big future undertakings!And if each one of us would try to make something about the nature, it would become a beginning of a new better life of the nature.
ОтветитьУдалитьThis is very good example specially for people of our generation. Everyone should think about environmental problems because it is our future. Don’t be indifferent. Even one plastic bottle which you throw in the bin will bring less harm to environment. For example, when I with my friends go hiking, we pick up and throw not only our garbage even take away garbage of the other people. Because we know that the next time we will want to come back to this place, make a camp, relax and we won’t sit in the dirty and stinking place. Before making rubbish - just stop and think about consequences.
ОтветитьУдалитьIt's such a relief to see normal people try to protect the world we live in (not these stuck-up GP freaks or narrow-minded nature defenders who chain themselves to the railways, burn down fur factories and shove their opinion down people's throats).
ОтветитьУдалитьAs for me, I'm not that active. I just try to do what little I can do. I don't leave garbage anywhere and tell my friends not to, and I can tell for sure that I will never drive a non-hybrid car :):):)
Thank you for this article. This is the excellent example, how we can achieve our goal. If this understand every of us, it will be easier make our world cleaner. But I can say that it is people,who themselves pollute the environment. I am really annoy when people threw garbage anywhere.
ОтветитьУдалитьAs for me, when we go to the countryside, we always take garbage bag.
I think that everyone wants to do something big in their life.The example of these two girls is really great.Life will be much better if we all will do something good for our environment.I hope I will do something like these two girls did,too.They are very active and they really are interested in our world.
ОтветитьУдалитьThank you for such an inspiring article!
ОтветитьУдалитьHonestly, I have been always dreaming of doing something like these girls have done. I strongly believe, that every person can make our world a little better and these are not just words.
As for me, I would really like to make diverse campaignes, that could help to protect Crimea and help it to stay beautiful, fair, and, what the most important is, alive!
As you know, nowadays air pollutions is a really huge problem of our peninsula.
Sure, it's simply absolutely unhealthy to live in a city with contaminated air. Here I have some examples: scientists have found out, that air pollution leads to lung cancer. Some new researches show, that it also damages the brain and leads to learning and memory problems and even depression. Well, definitely there are a lot more problems that air pollution leads to. So now I'd like to talk about the ways this problem can be soluted.
First of all people should finally start riding bycicles. It helps us to keep fit, and what even more important is, it reduces the need for using cars, because driving a car is the most air polluting act an average citizen commits. If a lot of young people began riding bikes, it would be a great example for other people and a great beginnig, a big step to the problem's sollution!
Sure, it would be also great if people started driving alternative fuel cars. Undoubtedly that would make the situation much better.
I'd like to sum up and say that if we do have enough willing we will definitely change Crimea for the better, and since our place of living is a part of the whole world, it will become a little better as well!
Anna Zhurukhina