Youth Allies’ Footprint (Consumption, Production, & Waste) Project is designed to 1) Educate the community about the environmental and social costs of US consumption and waste around the world; 2) Promote strategies to reduce our individual and collective ecological footprints; 3) Build self-reliance by promoting the local economy and the production of goods locally – especially from refurbished materials and local renewable resources.

• The project includes research and training in conventional and alternative economic systems and practices, waste reduction strategies, as well as alternatives to consumption and Do It Yourself projects for youth project leaders. (The Story of Stuff, etc.)

• Six Community training workshops annually on creating household items and products from scratch using local sources or refurbished materials.

• Consumer Education Campaign during the holidays raising consumer awareness about the corporate practices behind the products they are buying such as sweatshop labor, environmental destruction, animal cruelty, and human rights violations. The purpose is to get people to consume less and make responsible decisions about where and how they spend their money when they do consume (by supporting local businesses, environmentally friendly products, etc.).

• A Green Schools Campaign targeting students, teachers, and the School Board with simple strategies to reduce waste at school organized during Earth Day week.

The project design includes bi-monthly waste reduction/DIY community workshops. In 2009-2010 these workshops will focus on alternatives to sweatshop labor and will teach sewing skills and clothing production. The Consumer Education campaign will take place in December as well as on the annual Buy Nothing Day hosted by Adbusters. The project will include educational materials, Youth Media radio segments, and art pieces and performances at malls and shopping centers. The Ecological Footprint Reduction campaign is an educational campaign targeting students, teachers, and the School Board – raising awareness about ways to reduce excess and unnecessary waste through the elimination of Styrofoam trays, paper reuse, and turning off lights and electricity at the end of the day. The Consumption project also includes peer education trainings conducted in the Santa Fe Public Schools throughout the year.