Green Groups Push TV Tax to Get Kids Off the Couch

A New Mexico environmental coalition is calling for a 1% sales tax on TVs and video games to fund outdoor programs for kids, and the idea is gaining steam, writes Carl Pope for the Huffington Post. Proponents of the "Leave No Child Inside” plan say the tax would raise $4 million a year and help kids get off their duffs and play outside.

"We believe it is such a nominal tax that consumers won't feel it too much, especially if they are educated about where that money goes," said a Sierra Club official. Nearly all of New Mexico's kids live near a state park, but fewer than 10% visit them, say park officials. Proponents cite studies showing a link between outdoor education and academic achievement, a potential boon for the state's low-performing schools. (More Sierra Club stories.)