O'Positive Foundation and Shaquille O'Neal join forces with GreenMyParents

O’Positive Foundation and Shaquille O’Neal join forces with GreenMyParents to reach 1 million youth in an environmental movement to save American families over $100 million O’Positive and GreenMyParents Champions challenge America’s youth to donate a portion of their savings to children in need. Beginning with a speech at the Environmental Charter High Schools’ graduation, and continuing with a Social Media Movement, youth nationwide continue to take action to save the planet by challenging parents and peers to Go Green and save money

Los Angeles: (August 5, 2010) – GreenMyParents and O’Positive are partnering on a peer-to-peer movement, led by Shaquille O’Neal and youth ages 11-17, to engage parents in a practical program of home-based environmental changes. Youth engage and grade their parents on fun activities to implement environmental and energy changes in families’ households and lifestyles—and negotiate a fair share of the financial savings from adopting a greener lifestyle.  O'Positive Foundation <http://www.opositivefoundation.org/>  and GreenMyParents <http://www.greenmyparents.com/>  (GMP) ask America’s youth to “pay-it-forward” and donate less than 1% of these financial savings to other children in need.

“The word 'Green' has become almost agnostic as it relates to the eco-movement.  Our goal at O’Positive is to help youth understand the environment as it pertains to their future, their health, possible careers, and how the choices they make every day have an impact. The importance of healthy environmental choices about what we eat, how we use and consume energy, and becoming a conscientious consumer can seem confusing. But, when 1 million of my friends team with GreenMyParents to save money for their families, we will prove that sustainable solutions to the economic and environmental crisis are something everyone can benefit from and participate in.  In addition, youth gain essential life-skills from leading green in the home – from youth to youth to parents - one child at a time.” –Shaquille O’Neal

O’Positive-GreenMyParents Champions:

O’Positive, Shaquille O’Neal and GreenMyParents have engaged youth Champions, such as Jordan Howard, 17, a graduating senior at Environmental Charter High School, Class of 2010. Champions save their parents money on energy bills and environmental improvements at home, and also recruit and train other kids to get their parents to do the same. Champions demonstrate the personal development from the opportunity to learn and teach about community, health, and economic benefits of sustainable living. “Together with one hundred other GMP Champions, we are already rapidly reaching out to our peers to join the movement.  I have over 500 friends on Facebook, and have reached out to them directly to participate and recruit their friends as well.  We won’t stop until we reach our goal,” says Howard.

“From the beginning, the savings have been about more than just extra pocket money, gone beyond helping the environment, it’s about the ability to reinvest and support something of local and global importance,” says Erin Schrode, 19, co-founder of Teens Turning Green, a GreenMyParents Champion, and freshman student at New York University, who took time off from college to volunteer in Haiti for the month of June this year. “GMP Youth want to contribute, help other youth, and support green innovation to ensure environmental and economic sustainability.”

O’Positive-GMP’s goal is to reach one million youth over the next twelve months.  The movement aims for young people to learn about leadership; economic development; individual, family, and environmental health; and how to become powerful representatives of a new Green American Dream.   Youth may register to become O’Positive-Green My Parents Champions at: www.opositivefoundation.com <http://www.opositivefoundation.com>  and www.greenmyparents.com <http://www.greenmyparents.com> .

“We don’t face just an environmental, economic, or educational crisis – we face all three simultaneously. Shaquille O’Neal has demonstrated leadership on these issues across the country for almost as long as he has been in the public eye, and we hope our partnership with O’Positive is huge for GreenMyParents,” said Tom Feegel, founder of GreenMyParents.  “Youth understand that being a success is not just about being the best, it’s about using your position to change the game--starting at home.”

“GreenHouse International <http://www.greenhousebuilders.com/>  is proud to be a partner with Shaquille O’Neal and his O’Positive Foundation in supporting  the children of our world who are in need of health care and education,” says Russ Earnshaw, President of GreenHouse International. “Shaq has been a role model and long time advocate for youth throughout his career, and there is no more critical mission than coming to the rescue of the world’s children.  Our future is in the hands of our kids.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Give $5 to O’Positive by texting the word OPOSITIVE to 501501.

  1. Send a text message to 501501 with the message OPOSITIVE

  2. Reply with Y to confirm your donation

  3. $5 donation will appear on your carrier bill

“We’re thrilled to help one the biggest icons in sports, Shaquille O'Neal, raise money for his O'Positive foundation,” said Matt McKenna, Founder and President of Red Fish Media. “Give on the Go, the fundraising division of Red Fish Media, will act as the mobile donations platform powering the $5 text donation program.  We always aim to align ourselves with charities that better the lives of children, improve education and offer relief to places inflicted with disaster. O'Positive fits the bill for us and we have big expectations that the mobile donation program coupled with Shaq’s social reach and the ability to motivate people will prove successful for his worthy cause.”

About O’Positive Foundation:

O’Positive Foundation is a movement let by sports icon, NBA All-Star and entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal and focuses on the needs of children impacted by a lack of education and health services. Our goal is to provide resources to partner organizations that address, serve, and help rectify critical issues facing our children today; with an emphasis on the health and nutritional deficits that lead to childhood obesity, impact growing educational issues, create environmental awareness, and ensure basic physical fitness for every child.

About GreenMyParents:

GreenMyParents (GMP) is a youth environmental-economic movement. GMP is built on a popular book series, campus, and community workshop program and social media campaign that seeds the green economy, aims to earn over $100 for millions of individual families, and helps heal the Planet. GMP inspires youth ages 11-17 to directly engage parents in practical home-based environmental changes while learning about money, health, and social media while conserving energy, changing diet and habits. Green My Parents is a national peer-to- parent program with participants in all 50 states that brings families together to collaborate on building a new Green American Dream now. GreenMyParents is also a youth-edited book used at the Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, California and thousands of other schools nation-wide.

Environmental Charter High School (ECHS):

Shaquille O’Neal was a speaker at the ECHS Commencement on June 25, 2010 in Lawndale, California. Other attendees were the Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis.  ECHS is a prime example of the power of green and sustainable living for our future.  The majority of students at ECHS have entered the school performing below grade level, and through the programs provided and curriculum, 97% of each class will graduate meeting requirements of four-year universities.