Sponsored Post: Unilever Project Sunlight Premieres New “The Way Kids See It” Documentary Short

As any parent knows, kids have the remarkable ability to see the world with optimism and hope, to appreciate all of its wonders, to dream without any inhibitions, to think of the world as their personal oyster. Truth be told, we could all learn something from our children. Rather than throwing our hands up in the air when faced with difficult situations, rather than thinking of anything as being beyond our control, we can choose to emulate our wide-eyed children and take the steps to be the change we envision, to make the world a better place. After all, aren’t we teaching them that, if they can dream it, they can achieve it?

This, of course, is why I whole-heartedly applaud Unilever — the supplier of leading food, home, and personal care products from top-notch brands like Dove, St. Ives, Simple Skincare, Q-Tips, Lipton, Hellmann’s, Axe, Suave, Knorr’s, Breyers, Ben & Jerry’s, and TRESemmé —for developing the Unilever Project Sunlight, a movement dedicated to inspiring people to live sustainably, to make small changes in their everyday lives that will allow future generations to inherit an Earth where no child goes hungry, where people everywhere have access to clean water, where pollution has been eradicated and renewable resources are prioritized. Over the years, Unilever brands have demonstrated its commitment to a variety of social and environmental causes. Lipton, for one, is working with the Rainforest Alliance to develop more sustainable tea farming methods and Q-Tips is sourcing paper for its sticks and packaging from sustainable forests. But what makes Unilever Project Sunlight so unique is that it’s helping ordinary people everywhere to understand the difference they can make. It’s a project that educates and inspires, while also creating a sense of community.

In keeping with this mission, Unilever Project Sunlight just unveiled a new short film called “The Way Kids See It,” which you can watch above, that captures how kids all over the world are mobilizing to create a better world. It’s so inspiring to watch Joshua, a young boy with a huge heart, deliver food to the hungry; to meet Isabella, an incredibly imaginative young girl who creates a prototype of a compost exchange facility using a cardboard box, one of her many eco-minded inventions; to watch as surfer kids Joshua and Caitlin bemoan all the litter in the ocean and take the initiative to collect all of that garbage rather than simply letting it float in the ocean. All of the children shown in the film dream of a better future, but their dreams go beyond words, translating into tangible actions.

As I watched the film, I thought of my 10-year-old son, who recently told me he wanted to invent a video game that would encourage people to recycle, stop littering, and conserve water. And of course, I stopped to think, Well, what can I do? How can I do my part to make the world a better place?

It all starts with small lifestyle changes and, to that end, Unilever has even developed some fun “Summer Sunlight Activities” built upon the principles of sustainable living (you can check them out at ProjectSunlight.US). To show my support for this great movement, I will be partaking in one of the Summer Sunlight Activities: “Go Green In Your Bathroom.” In the coming week, I will feature the activity here and include a step-by-step tutorial so that you, too, can recreate the experience. The project is meant to be done with one’s children (though you can do it by yourself too!), and  the idea is to encourage recycling within the bathroom by making the process fun, thereby having kids become more eager about the prospect. And, since it’s very craft-y, you’ll get the thrill of feeling like a DIY maven once the activity is complete!

Stay tuned for my “Go Green In Your Bathroom” project and, in the meantime, please watch the “The Way Kids See It” film and share your thoughts. What did you find most inspiring or touching about the film? How have the kids in your life inspired you?

Also, make sure to visit ProjectSunlight.us to learn more about this global initiative!