Tread Lightly Brings Youth Voices to the COP 16 UN Climate Change Conference

Online, December 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - 24 youth delegates from around the world are participating in the COP16 UN climate change conference as delegates of TakingITGlobal (TIG) which runs the Tread Lightly program, a climate change initiative supported by Staples Foundation for Learning, the charitable arm of Staples, Inc. On December 9th, Tread Lightly will use the power of technology to also bring together students in classrooms around the world to discuss actions on reducing ecological footprints.

In addition, artwork submitted to the environmentally-themed Imprints Art contest will be displayed at COP16, voicing the opinions of Tread Lightly participants through the power of the arts. Workshops and presentations will also be given during the conference to show young people how the Tread Lightly tools can help them reduce their ecological footprints and learn about climate change.

COP16 is the UN climate change conference held in Cancun, Mexico from November 29th to December 10th, 2010. International delegates gather annually between the months of November and December to discuss global climate change and international cooperation. More information can be found at http://cc2010.mx/en/about/what-is-cop16cmp6/.

As the world's leading online learning community for young global citizens, TakingITGlobal is aware of young people's concerns about climate change and their desire to take action on environmental issues. In response to their membership's interest in environmental sustainability and with the support of the Staples Foundation for Learning®, TIG developed an innovative climate change education program, Tread Lightly, which provides educators and youth with opportunities to learn about and take action on climate change.

Last year, the Tread Lightly Imprints Art contest posed the question: "if you could visualize your ecological footprint, what would it look like?" Tread Lightly's presence at COP16 and its invitation to classrooms around the world to join in the debate about international climate change policy, will ensure that many more people have the opportunity to ask themselves the same question.

Tread Lightly welcomes all youth and educators who want to collaborate and take action on global climate change. Visit www.treadlightly.me or email [email protected] to find out more.