On September 20th, more than 250,000 people gathered in Foley Square, Manhattan for the New York Climate Strike. Protestors chanted and marched across lower Manhattan, then rallied at Battery Park. Many of the strikers were students, skipping school in order to make their voices heard. 

Young people have a lot to say about climate change. Due to growing up in a world where mass extinction of species and rising temperatures are daily problems, young adults are concerned about how the future will unfold. 

According to the Washington Post, 57% of teens feel “afraid” about climate change. Oftentimes, this fear stems from the lack of power in important decisions students like us have.

However, small but deliberate actions can be taken every day to help move toward a healthier planet. Every single student of Minnetonka High School is capable of doing something to protect the environment.

One way the MHS student body is protecting the planet is through associations like Earth Club. Earth Club is a service club focused on preserving the environment. At the date of publication, the club has 37 active members who take environmental action within the community and district. 

Jason Boswell, a physics teacher at MHS and adviser for Earth Club, said the club is “one-hundred percent student led”. 

Students in Earth Club fundraise, come up with ideas about how to preserve the environment and work with the city and district councils to improve environmental policies. 

The members divide themselves by grade and tackle several projects at once. One of Earth Club’s ongoing missions is to reduce plastic use in the community, particularly plastic bags. This project is being taken on by the sophomores, who hope to reach low levels of plastic consumption by the time they graduate from Minnetonka.

To reach their goal, students have been distributing reusable canvas bags at district events. The bags have the Minnetonka sailboat logo emblazoned on the front and Earth Club’s motto, “people of the planet, for the planet,” on the back. So far, hundreds of bags have been distributed to parents and teachers throughout Minnetonka. By circulating these reusable bags, Earth Club shows that students can make a difference. 

Gabi Tan, ‘20, president of Earth Club, shared a bit about the club’s efforts regarding climate change. 

“The seniors in Earth Club have collaborated with the City Council for climate action and funding and have pushed for a sustainability commission in the city. They’ve also worked with the board overlooking energy emissions and are hoping to reach net-zero carbon emissions in the near future,” she said.

When asked about the awareness of climate change at the high school, Tan shares her perspective that, “100% of the student body is aware of the problem, the percentage that actually cares is 40 to 50%, and the percentage of students who really do something is less than 20%”. 

She’s noticed that people are often more focused on the American political climate than environmental issues, and that many don’t fully realize that the amount of time society has to backpedal on climate change is very small. Climate scientists have calculated that we only have 12 years to lower carbon emissions significantly before changes to Earth’s climate become irreversible. 

Luckily, there are a myriad of ways you can help. Reducing the amount of waste you create can be as simple as recycling and composting. Cutting down on energy costs can be achieved by biking to school if you live close by or being mindful of how much you are heating or cooling your house. Taking small steps like these ultimately results in a larger impact. 

Like Tan said, “Young people have the energy and passion that a lot of adults are lacking”. 

If high school students like us can confront the barriers that stand in our way and lose the fear of being radical, then we can work towards finding a better future for ourselves.