William Penn HS, 11th grade

A Green Note

Do you know what it feels like to lose a home that serves as a magnum opus for potential growth in life? How can you recover from such a dreadful blow, and what must come forward about it? Somewhere around the world, we experience a moment of hopelessness and pessimism because of what has been done to the world by us humans, and it feels as if we can’t do anything about it. Wars, conflicts, natural disasters, wildfires, displacement, and death crash into the planet like small meteors, dealing significant damage, which all guarantee a death sentence in some way, and we say things like, ‘There is no hope,’ ‘There is nothing we can do,’ and ‘Everything’s impossible.’ In today’s society, it is clear that we’ve driven ourselves to the wrong type of edification and have reached a lack of empathy, thanks to social media and family upbringing, and they are not the only things driving us to life this low.

We live in a world where humanity fights for resources and power, which, to our stance, is ordinary, but we are exploiting these biologically beneficial assets far more than we need to take for granted. In other words, we are taking advantage of our resources, and the planet is slowly losing its natural beauty because of our unnecessary intrusion into peace. Our world is beautiful for only one reason: the Earth holds all the resources we need for survival—for the animals, the plants, the fish, and even the bacteria that inhabit it. The cycles of energy, carbon dioxide, water, and rock, which fall under the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere, all interact accordingly to each other to produce a tolerable environment. Correspondingly, Earth is located in the habitable zone, meaning it is not too close but not too far from the Sun, and it even has a magnetic field, which acts as a natural shield to protect our ecosystems from space’s harmful energy and the Sun’s solar winds. In other words, our planet has everything needed to create a stunning scene and become our protector, which is our only home.

In my point of view, I see how our planet gets treated differently. I see an old grandma who doesn’t have much to live for and gets constantly left out by other generations who don’t take her seriously. In her mind, it’s an empty bliss that only inhabits gloomy recollections and shows severe symptoms of despair and abandonment. All she needed was tenderness, love, care, and the people she needed the most, but in the end, nobody cared.

I saw Fluff, my black American shorthair cat, who died days after Lilo, her white partner, had passed away. Lilo was everything that she needed for love and care, but when he died, Fluff had nothing left, and it was up to me to be there for her. In my head, I saw Fluff as the Earth and Lilo as an environmentalist, and they cuddled until the day one of them passed away. It was heartbreaking because I lived with Fluff for over ten years, but with her passing, it’s up to me to make sure that I will save this planet to the best of my abilities from going into turmoil.

I can see the images of the Canadian wildfires that burnt the trees. The memory of those images is haunting, as all I can see are rows of dead and mutilated conifers that were once full of life. The aftermath was soulless as the sky turned a concerning shade of light mahogany, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. If only those wildfires hadn’t occurred, those trees could have thrived.

I witnessed a teacher who persistently gets pushed over by other scholars who took the course as a joke. All he wants to do is teach his fellow students how to follow directions, but they wouldn’t care to do a single assignment and ought to skip class and roam around in the hallways.

I noticed a bunch of trash, most notably cigarettes, lying on the streets and beaches, and it looked like nobody had gotten rid of it in months, hence even years. The trash plagued the oceans, the air, the environment, and the people horrifically, like the Spanish Flu’s rapid viral expansion. All five of these instances set the unconditional force of how unfair treatment can affect the planet’s environment so much, and there are many causes of how these case studies happened.

In today’s society, there are numerous arguments regarding climate change and the environment. Some claims seem far-fetched, such as that climate change is a natural thing humans did not cause and that we shouldn’t worry about rising temperatures. They try to get others to believe by deceiving them into thinking that the world is not in danger and that we shouldn’t worry about pollution. But look at the case studies that link to climate issues, carbon emissions, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and so much more! Have we lost our sense of morale and ethical thinking about putting this vulnerable, miserable planet to its knees? Do you know how the Earth feels about this ludicrous mindset that our generation clutches onto? We are seeing clear cases of carbon dioxide trapping sunlight and then re-radiated by greenhouse gases, resulting in increasing temperatures and sea ice melting with sea levels rising. There is a thing known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive area of waste that spans across the Pacific Ocean, and it can be lethal to the marine species that reside above that area. We even have the US Supreme Court ruling out the case to put wetlands under threat and denying them any state and federal protection. Wetlands are crucial for low-lying lands as they seep water into the soil like a sponge to prevent floods and hold a wide variety of biodiversity in that ecosystem. But since the decision, every wetland in the United States is at risk of endangerment.

But now, one question arises: can we truly save this planet from further malpractice? While it may seem impossible, the chances are not nil, and we can prove why. As a newer generation born from millennials, we can share and spread the news of environmental awareness and why we should take action. One speech won’t be enough to convince an audience unless we talk from the heart and advocate for ourselves. Our audience should also be one where not many people know the subject matter, but are intrigued nonetheless. If we can make a powerful disquisition aiming to educate the public about climate change’s inevitable future and the reasons to persuade and partake in the environmental movement through validity, good morale, and education, we can make this dream come true, and make our planet a better place to live.

We can also change our habits to save resources, recycle more often, and conserve energy and water. We can go green by following the criteria to contribute to a much cleaner planet. Buying sustainable and biodegradable products and eating more vegetables can also lower our carbon footprint, reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

As aspiring environmentalists, we can develop environmental campaigns and programs that seek to engage those communities and increase research efforts to ensure that our planetary impact isn’t overlooked. Environmentalists, advisors, researchers, and even therapists can help bring support to our cause. Our goal for this upcoming company is to start acting now and clean up the mess we dug ourselves into. By acting sooner, we guarantee that climate change won’t become irreversible and that we are trying our best to find solutions to the modern problems we face today. It is only a matter of time before it is too late to save our forsaken planet, and our goal starts here, in Delaware.

Finally, to prevent further injustices in Delaware, we can encourage local governments to implement environmental safety rules, such as criminalizing littering and reducing greenhouse emissions, so that we can ensure our planet is free from mistreatment. We can also note that some climate activists do take it to extremes, so in response, we should limit as much power as we can by talking together as one and sharing what our heart desires for our planet. We can also ask the government to install more psychological institutions since many people, including our generation, don’t ask for help when needed. If we offer therapy to those in need, we can build a strong, respectable community committed to reforming a cleaner and prospering world. It makes sense to do this because what if the youth do not receive the help they truly need and value the world differently? We want this generation to become the true powerhouse, not one that struggles to meet the reality of working together. It is up to us to make these decisions if we want to save this world.