Climate change and preserving the environment were the green button topics at Thomas County Central High School this week. Members of the school’s environmental ambassadors’ organization promoted a Climate Action Week.
“The students wanted to be involved in the world-wide Climate Strike,” sponsor Laura Kornegay said. “Instead of walking out of class and not really doing anything, they decided to make it a week-long event which they called Climate Action Week and end the week with a rally before school on Friday. We are instructed to be good stewards of the environment, and our health depends on the health of the environment.”
Held Sept. 16-20, the week encourages people of all ages to adopt sustainable behaviors to aid in preserving the planet.
“Save it or lose it,” is member Matt Sherrod’s advice to peers about the environment. “We need to preserve it for our survival.”
Christin Connelly is an Advanced Placement Environmental Science student and environmental ambassador. She took part in the event because she is potentially interested in an environmental science career.
“It’s significant to draw attention to what is going on in the world right now because we never know when we may lose our Earth,” she said.
The week’s activities included: Meatless Monday, to limit animal product consumption to reduce creation of greenhouse gases that impact the environment; Turn It Off Tuesday, an effort to turn off car engines, lights and other appliances when not using them; Carpool Wednesday, to ride together with others going to the same destination; Skip the Drive-Thru Thursday, to go inside to order and save gas and reduce emissions that negatively impact the environment; and, Jacket Rally for Action on Climate Change Friday, when the environmental ambassadors held a climate change rally on campus before school. Members also made posters and pins and distributed them throughout the school. And they plan to plant a tree donated by Stoney Creek.
“Overall, I feel like the week helped individuals understand just how easy it is to incorporate environmentally friendly habits into their everyday lives,” ambassador Edjenee’ Corbin said. “My favorite day has to be Turn It Off Tuesday because it not only helps with CO2 emissions, it also helps individuals save gas and money.”
Kornegay says skipping the drive-thru should occur daily.
“We were all surprised when we looked at how much energy is wasted while people idle in their cars at drive-thrus,” she said. “Parking your car and going inside helps the environment, helps your pocketbook, gets you moving more, and forces you to interact more with other people.”
During Friday’s rally, member Joshua Stephens spoke to his school about youth participation in preserving their planet.
“This rally was important to have because it helped spread awareness about climate change,” Corbin said. “It is important that the younger generations are informed and care about climate change because it affects our future and how we are going to live our lives.”
Also, guest speaker Candee Henderson, director of Keep Thomas County Beautiful, encouraged youth to set a positive example about issues close to their heart such as climate change.
“No one can tell you that you are too young to do this…,” she said. “Let no one have contempt for your youth.”
Connelly hopes the rally sparked change in those who attended the event.
“I hope they can see that change is necessary to prolong our life here on Earth,” she said. “A piece of advice I would give to my fellow students is to start with the little things that will help the environment like recycling or not idling in the car. When you start with smaller, helpful things, you can progress and move on to greater things like planting multiple trees for the benefit of our Earth.”
Kornegay hopes her students learned that what they say matters and they can make a difference.
“While the students understand that individuals will not solve this problem without the help from our leaders and big corporations, they learned ways that they can contribute to a healthier environment,” she said.