Greener than Greenville: Greenville teen starts initiative to bring focus to climate change
Samantha Martin, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
Climate change is quite the hot topic in today’s mass media. More and more we see today’s youth taking an active part in the discussion on global warming, and what can be done to slow the increasing likelihood that global temperatures will rise too high for life to flourish.
Sophie Anderson, a teen from Greenville High School attended her first big climate strike only weeks ago. Anderson has over time developed a great interest in the topic of global warming after noticing that the current curriculum students receive in their science courses does not place much emphasis on global warming and climate change, but that it’s a conversation that is becoming more and more focused on in today’s media.
“The fact that [global warming/climate change] is such a glazed over topic in every science class; it’s something we are quizzed on and then we don’t talk any more about, kind of irked me,” Anderson said.
After attending her first climate strike in D.C. only weeks ago, Anderson said she had only one thought, “Oh man, Greenville needs to see this.”
Anderson had been sharing her growing passion for acting against climate change on her personal Instagram page when a friend suggested starting a separate page specifically for this purpose. That’s how the Instagram page, Greener Greenville came to be.
Currently sitting at over 400 followers, the Greener Greenville page is the hub for updates on the “Fridays for Future” climate strikes now held every Friday in Downtown Greenville. Anderson ensures that the strikes are legal by checking city ordinances and acquiring permits from City Hall.
“I think of them as more of a rally than a protest or a strike. I like the emphasis on the number of people that come out and support a cause,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s passion is spreading across campuses all around Greenville, including our very own. NGU sophomore Caitlyn Foster was introduced to the Greener Greenville Instagram page by a friend and has since attended one of the Greener Greenville strikes, but plans on attending more.
“I’ve always wanted to take care of the Earth, but I hadn’t really taken it seriously until three or four years ago. I shouldn’t live out of convenience, I should live out of purpose and intentionality,” Foster said.
Foster mentioned seeing several other global warming/climate change activists and being overwhelmed by the extremity of their lifestyles. However, she notes that even small changes that can be made and can ultimately add up.
“Focus on small and easy things. The fashion industry is one of the most harmful industries. A way to counter-act this is sustainable fashion, but that can be expensive. As a college student I like the idea of thrifting,” Foster said.
Small changes are just that, small changes. And while people disregard the signs of what global warming can do, Anderson points out that small changes make all the difference.
“One degree may not seem like a lot, but it’s the difference between ice and water. And that’s where we’re heading,” Anderson said.
Anderson shows that despite how some people may view youth, it is possible for change to be made by anyone.
“As a whole community if everyone tried to reduce just a little bit it would have such a big impact,” Anderson said.
“I’m very inspired by Sophie because she’s young, and she’s clearly so passionate about [global warming/climate change]. I think she is definitely a natural leader,” Foster said.
The changes these two young women are trying to encourage the world towards are not new ideas by any means. In a recent essay, Anderson quotes “Silent Spring,” a 1962 work by Rachel Carson, the woman New York Times credits with popularizing ecology.
“We stand now where to roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road – the one less traveled by – offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth,” Carson said.
As global leaders continue to debate the validity of global warming, there are those intent on making a change before it becomes too late.
“I relate to Rachel Carson in the fact that I will have no peace as long as our planet, our habitable environment, is threatened. I plan to continue advocating for mass sustainable energy and renewable resource usage,” Anderson said.
