Savannah Walters

Savannah Walters, an eighth-grader at Independent Day School in Tampa, created “Pump ‘Em Up” an awareness campaign designed to reduce the need for new oil drilling by urging drivers to keep their tires pumped up and thereby save gas.

“People don’t know that Americans waste four million gallons of gas a day by not properly inflating their tires,” said Savannah. She didn’t know either, until she spoke with photographer Lenny Kohm, who has spent years trying to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Kohm encouraged Savannah to get the word out about tire inflation, so she and her Brownie Troop distributed flyers to commuters, along with free tire gauges donated by Sears and Goodyear.

Since then, Savannah has held many more awareness events in her area, distributing thousands of informational flyers, balloons, and tire gauges. In addition, she has recruited friends and other volunteers to put on similar events in more than a dozen states, and created a Web site (www.pumpemup.org) for people anywhere who want to join her campaign.

Savannah also has taken her message to Washington, D.C., where she has lobbied Congressmen and spoken at rallies. “I’ve learned this is about a lot more than saving the Arctic Refuge. Wasting gas pollutes our air and adds to global warming,” she said. “This affects all of us and so it is very important to get the word out that there is a simple little thing that would make a HUGE difference—pump ’em up!”Savannah Walters, an eighth-grader at Independent Day School in Tampa, created “Pump ‘Em Up” an awareness campaign designed to reduce the need for new oil drilling by urging drivers to keep their tires pumped up and thereby save gas.

“People don’t know that Americans waste four million gallons of gas a day by not properly inflating their tires,” said Savannah. She didn’t know either, until she spoke with photographer Lenny Kohm, who has spent years trying to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Kohm encouraged Savannah to get the word out about tire inflation, so she and her Brownie Troop distributed flyers to commuters, along with free tire gauges donated by Sears and Goodyear.

Since then, Savannah has held many more awareness events in her area, distributing thousands of informational flyers, balloons, and tire gauges. In addition, she has recruited friends and other volunteers to put on similar events in more than a dozen states, and created a Web site (www.pumpemup.org) for people anywhere who want to join her campaign.

Savannah also has taken her message to Washington, D.C., where she has lobbied Congressmen and spoken at rallies. “I’ve learned this is about a lot more than saving the Arctic Refuge. Wasting gas pollutes our air and adds to global warming,” she said. “This affects all of us and so it is very important to get the word out that there is a simple little thing that would make a HUGE difference—pump ’em up!”