I’m a junior at Kennedy Secondary School in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I have noticed that some of my peers aren’t aware of or don’t have the correct facts about climate change. This is an extremely important topic to our generation because it will affect us in our lifetimes and long after that. Our actions can greatly impact the speed of the changes that are happening, and it is crucial that we are educating youth with facts that are correct. I am passionate about this topic because I want my children and generations long after me to live in a world of beauty and biodiversity for as long as possible.

In my 12 years of being in the Fergus Falls school district, I have only learned the very basics of climate change. In my freshman year English class, we were to give a presentation about a social issue of our choice. I picked climate change because I didn’t understand what the cause was and I wanted to inform my class. I learned so much and it sparked a light in me to do something. If every kid my age got that opportunity to dig deeper into this subject, I am confident it would do the same for many. To this day I try to be aware of my habits and try to do what is best for our Earth. I have purchased biodegradable products and reusable bags to help cut down my plastic waste, and I’ve educated my family on the importance of recycling. If I can persuade 100 people to make small changes in their everyday lives, it will have more of an impact than one person doing absolutely everything they can to be eco-friendly.

I believe that if children are taught from a young age more about climate change, it will greatly reduce the number of misconceptions that are spread and it will increase the amount of interest in it. It is critical that we find solutions or it will be the end of our Earth. The people who may find these solutions could be in school at this very moment. The more people get inspired to do something about it, the higher chance that we are able to fix what our society has started.

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