The Richard Maize Foundation Supports the Green Youth Movement

Aug. 30, 2009 - PRLog -- – Los Angeles --- Richard and Rochelle Maize are proud to join their teenage daughter, Ally, in support of her organization, the Green Youth Movement. Ally has become a mover and a shaker among the youth in getting the environmental word out. Through her efforts people of all ages are becoming aware of critical environmental and ecological issues and are helping her spread an important message.

For Ally, her awareness of environmental issues began last year when she was only fifteen years old. While learning to drive she began to research the type of car she wanted her father, Richard Maize, to buy for her. It so happened that in school she had been learning about global warming and the deeper she got into her studies, the more she began to appreciate the idea behind hybrid cars. By the time she had her driver’s license and was ready for that first car, she was thoroughly convinced that it must be a hybrid.

Passion for the Environment

What started out as a search for the most environmentally friendly car turned into a passion for Ally. Soon her interest in global warming had her monitoring the type of light bulbs used in her family home, how their heating system effected the environment and what type of hot water system they used. Richard and Rochelle Maize learned along with Ally and together they agreed on changes in their home to make it more environmentally friendly. Along with replacing their hot water heating system inside the house to use a tank-less system, they installed solar panels on the roof to collect energy from the sun and instead of using plastic bags they now use cloth bags for groceries.

Together with her parents, Ally came up with the idea to start the Green Youth Movement. She feels that as a knowledgeable teenager she is in a position to educate others about the dangers of global warming. The goal of the movement is to inform and educate the youth, which is in fact the next group of consuming adults. She hopes to inspire awareness and give a broad understanding of what it means to “live green.”

"Cool Kid" Ally Maize

When Ally appeared on ABC7’s “Cool Kid” program, she acknowledged that a big source of inspiration came through Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth.” She was so overwhelmed by what she learned about global warming that she knew she must do something.

Ally’s long-range goal is, through Green Youth Movement, to get a comprehensive program of “green learning” incorporated into the school curriculum. For now she is trying to educate elementary-age kids about the environment and ways they can help. She feels that as these educated youth grow up there will be less waste, less use of materials that harm the environment and a more determined focus and shift towards eco-conscious behavior. Rather than think it is someone else’s responsibility, she feels that by educating young children, she is instilling in them a green mantra that will reap benefits as they grow into mature and responsible adults.

In teaching students to be more eco-conscious and environmentally responsible, she has prepared a selection of educational materials which are available through her website, Green Youth Movement. In addition she has products available such as the Green Kit and the Live Green bracelets to increase public awareness. She regularly participates in eco fairs and conferences, always with the intent of informing the public and offering her ecologically friendly products.

While Richard Maize is helping daughter Ally with her non-profit organization, he is not totally new to the subject of environmental responsibility. Last October, in an attempt to raise environmental consciousness in his community, he and Rochelle used the “green” them in their Halloween decorations.

Recycling Efforts

The Richard Maize Foundation is a philanthropic organization that contributes both time and money to worthy causes locally and around the globe. In helping Ally Maize with the Green Youth Movement, the Foundation helps to raise money for education and awareness among the youth. Through the Green Youth Movement website Ally is able to encourage environmentally friendly practices, such as making an effort to reduce waste, toxins and energy consumption while promoting recycling, renewable products and resource conservation.

On a personal level, the Richard Maize household worked together to plant a sustainable garden at their Beverly Hills home. After only three weeks of planting the garden they were happily enjoying the rewards. Fresh spinach, lettuce, carrots tomatoes and even herbs from their garden are now incorporated into their family meals.

Richard Maize Foundation Projects

The Green Youth Movement is only one of the important programs that the Richard Maize Foundation supports. Richard Maize continually uses his resources to strengthen meaningful programs that focus on art, culture, family services and healthcare, including cancer research. Other programs the Richard Maize Foundation supports include the American Cancer Society, Maccabiah Games in Israel, Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, Hurricane Katrina victims and the Cedars Sinai Board of Governors.

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