Joseph reigns over rainforest

"I want to help save the rainforests."

Said by an adult environmental activist, that statement would not be unusual, but it was declared by an 11-year-old: Joseph Parisi, a member of St. John the Evangelist parish in Schenectady who has formed "Our Rainforests," an effort to raise money for and awareness of the issue.

He was recently recognized for his work by Huggable Heroes, a group that celebrates the efforts of kids to make the world a better place (see www.buildabear.com).

Inspiration

Last year, Joseph attended a camp at the Bronx Zoo, where he learned that the rainforests are being taken down at the rate of half-an-acre per second.

"Loggers and farmers go in there and cut down all the trees," he explained. "If it keeps up at that rate, in 15 years, there will be no more rainforest.

"The camp influenced me a lot. I kept thinking about what would happen if the rainforest was destroyed and all those animals didn't have a home. Some of them can't live anywhere else. I want to save the creatures that live there -- all the animals and insects and the plants that we make medicine from.

"Do you know that 70 percent of all medicines come from plants and insects in the rainforest? If they are destroyed, people that need medicines won't have them and will die."

Taking action

After thinking about what he learned, Joseph decided to start his club.

"He designed a brochure and came up with the motto, 'Help save the Rainforest,' which is also the title of the brochure," noted his mom, Mary Rose Parisi.

"It explains what I am doing to all the kids who are interested in joining my club," Joseph noted.

Publicity

Joseph has spread the word through distribution of his brochure locally and in Brooklyn, where his family hails from.

He has also set up lemonade stands, sold art work and wrapped gifts at bookstores to raise $200. "I want to raise a lot more, though," he said.

"I've been thinking of new ways to save the rainforest," he continued. "I am writing a letter to the President because I got an idea about paper money.  If we can change the resources we use to make paper money, that would help save the trees from being cut down. If the trees remain, so will the animals' home."

Steps to take

Joseph has plans to "raise enough money to buy a section of the rainforest. That way I can save at least some of the trees."

He also asserts that "kids can help in lots of ways. They can recycle paper, cardboard, plastic water bottles and all kinds of plastic. That's what our club does. We have contests to see who can save the most, and the winners get prizes.

"I'm doing this for the awareness. I'm going to keep raising money to save the animals and their habitat."

(Children who want to join Our Rainforest should email their name and address to [email protected]. They can ask Joseph questions they have about the issue.)

(4/12/07) [[In-content Ad]]