Youth Ecology Program

Environmental Media Northwest is a nonprofit organization that produces environmental PSAs (public service announcements) for television. Their PSAs focus on a variety of subjects, ranging from endangered species to sources of alternative energies. They’ve been operating in Seattle since 1992 and recently moved to Bellingham. Environmental Media Northwest also co-founded the Youth Ecology Program—an exciting workshop that gives middle school kids the opportunity to write, direct and star in their own television PSAs.

“This hands-on program furnishes our youth with a powerful voice, enabling them to become environmental educators on a large scale. Our school kids have produced television PSAs about endangered wild salmon, pollution-free hydrogen energy and classroom recycling programs,” says Michael Schutte, the executive director of Environmental Media Northwest.

Even though PSAs produced by school kids appear to be slightly homespun, cable TV companies and television stations throughout the Northwest region have donated several million dollars of commercial airtime to them. To view or download some of these PSAs, go to http: //www.4hydrogen.com/psa.html and click Streaming Video under Hydrogen Boy and Hydrogen Girls.

Since Environmental Media has relocated to Bellingham, their plan is to employ the Youth Ecology Program into Whatcom County middle schools.

Environmental Media recognizes the necessity for America to become energy self-sufficient. They plan to involve Whatcom County school kids in the creation of a unique series of television PSAs advocating renewable, alternative energy sources. Their first commercial to be produced by Whatcom County school kids will be about a unique vehicle in Bellingham that runs on pure vegetable oils.

“Kids are a large percentage of the general public and act as a gateway for messages about new technologies. That is why Environmental Media Northwest has focused on children as the proactive agent of change in our television PSAs,” says Captain Ozone.

If you’re a middle school teacher or student in Whatcom County and would like to participate in the Youth Ecology Program, contact Michael Schutte via e-mail at 4hydrogen@gmail.com.

Captain Ozone co-founded the Youth Ecology Program. He was also spokesperson in several of Environmental Media Northwest’s radio, television and movie theatre PSAs.

Captain Ozone helped produce and starred in the largest multimedia campaign to raise public consciousness about our endangered Pacific Northwest salmon. He also starred in America’s first pro-hydrogen fuel television commercial, which the U.S. Department of Energy collaborated in. Today, Captain Ozone leads a clandestine group of gorilla scientists who are working to help improve the human condition.

To learn more about Captain Ozone’s origins and activities, go to his Web site at http://www.captainozone.com and watch his video documentary. This documentary is also available on videotape at the WWU library as well as the Whatcom County public libraries.

Environmental Media Northwest Web sites are: http://www.emnw.org and http://www.4hydrogen.com. §