Seeking the environmental fountain of youth.

• Author: Baker, Kim
• Position: Ecology - Ian Somerhalder Foundation

IMAGINE GROWING UP in an environment so delicate that a simple change in water level completely alters the ecosystem. Southern Louisiana is made up of swamps, bogs, marshes, estuaries, and fens--also known as wetlands, which are home to a wide variety of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles and a natural water filter and purifying system. Louisiana contains 40% to 45% of all wetlands in the U.S., as the state is the gateway for the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The lower Mississippi drains more than 24,000,000 acres out of seven states.

Remember the British Petroleum oil spill of 2010 and the devastating images of animals, beaches, and trees all covered in black goo. An estimated 4,900,000 barrels of oil ended up in the Gulf of Mexico. At one point, a 22 mile-long plume of oil was reported. Actor Ian Somerhalder--best known for playing Damon Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries" and Boone Carlyle in "Lost"--grew up in the marshes of southern Louisiana, just north of New Orleans. From the very beginning, he was taught to respect and cherish the environment and all it represents.

During the BP crisis, what Somerhalder was seeing on the news did not concur with what actually was happening--and this made him angry and frustrated. "I don't ever want anyone to feel that helpless again--not myself, not my family, not my children, your family, no one." Out of this experience, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF) was born on Dec. 8, 2010, "to support projects that protect our habitat and nurture our furry friends.

"When we dump toxic waste into our rivers, it's essentially dumping waste into our bloodstream. When we ravage forests, we literally deforest our own lungs. Nothing we do is actually outside of us."

To inspire and empower positive change, ISF has turned to youth and social media. Why youth? Think back to your childhood. Do you recall how life was full of possibilities? You could create and be anything you wanted. There were no filters or boundaries--just your imagination and free will to take you anywhere you wanted to go. Somerhalder talks about "the curiosity of kids. You present problems to them, and it's unbelievable the answers they come up with. Because they are not looking through these filters, they haven't been contaminated by chemicals, pollutants, and really bad guidance. These building blocks are what's missing [in today's society]: reverence, gratitude, and compassion."

So, how do you inspire a generation that lives and...