Editorial
Statesman Journal

September 16, 1997

As the International Youth Environmental Summit ended in Salem, it
left behind two important messages.

The first was the theme, which ran through the students' concluding
resolutions, that we all have rights and responsibilities.

The second was the acknowledgment that dedicated teachers can "think
outside the box" and create lessons that have a global impact.

Before leaving Salem, the more than 100 students from around the
world adopted six resolutions.  What stands out is the concept
underlying each one: that we must balance economic, social and
environmental concerns in preserving the world's resources and that
individuals, government and businesses all share a role in those
decisions.

For example, the students from South Salem High School dealt with
corporate and social responsibility.  That section of the summit
resolutions noted that citizens have the "right to live and work in a
clean and safe environment" but those same citizens share with
industry "the responsibility to produce, use and dispose of products,
including energy, in an environmentally safe manner."

The section on toxic waste, researched by students from Israel,
stated that citizens have the right to be involved in decisions about
toxic waste disposal in their community.  But government and industry
also have the responsibility to inform the public, and citizens have
the responsibility to dispose of toxic wastes in a safe manner.

Maybe those concepts aren't revolutionary.  But many of our
environmental problems stem from divergent sides being so focused on
their individual rights that they forget their joint
responsibilities.  If our youth can recognize that dual role, they
will be better prepared to balance social, economical and ecological
concerns in resolving those environmental issues.

That will be a powerful lesson.  And it stems from the vision and
leadership of two South Salem High School teachers, Andrew Goldstein
and Molly Kellar.

Their innovative teaching of an environmental issues course led to
the development of the 21st Century Schoolhouse, using the Internet
to link six high schools around the world.  From that came the global
summit in Salem -- an exciting blend of environmental issues and
international relations from a teen-age perspective.