As I have grown older I have observed a stronger emphasis placed on workplace sustainability. The “workplace” for me is school, primary based around education. In elementary school, we had a mini-garden. In middle school, we had a significantly larger garden that we planted ourselves. We took care of it and occasionally sourced vegetables from that same garden. Now, in high school, and moving towards university there are many things that I did(my school) and what I plan to do in University. Education and sustainability could go hand in hand. In schools it is easy to find students with common interests which is why it is a great time to start making youth groups that focus on tackling various issues. 

2.“No Plastic” Cafeterias 

As a result of one of these conferences the “Bye-Bye plastic bags” movement spread to my school. From this, it spiraled to more activism: metal straws and completely banning plastic in our cafeteria. My friends couldn’t believe it. Our school has plastic containers for food. When they were taken away in exchange for our home brought containers, it took time to transition towards a plastic free lunch zone. Even the vendors had to adapt to the new system. It was nice to see the majority of my classmates bring their reusable containers and eating school lunch from there. This experience in my school showed the potential effectiveness of student activists and the ability for us to make change. We were shown our “waste date” which showed how much plastic waste our school generates in a week. Then we were showed what happened when we switched to a plastic free zone and the numbers essentially disappeared. A true testament to student activism. 

3.How Universities promote sustainability 

What I love about colleges in the United States is that the majority of them emphasize sustainability. This mindset is reflected upon the opportunities available for undergraduates studying at respective universities. US schools are known for their extensive travel abroad opportunities which I plan to partake in. For example, I plan to take part in a travel abroad program that brings undergraduates to paraguay where we plan to install solar panels in low income neighborhoods as well as assessing potential energy policy. The best part is I get to constantly work alongside a team as well as a dedicated professor that leads and guides us. Furthermore, now because we are undergrads we are able to contribute to campus sustainability to a greater extent than in high school. In some schools, they let students create and install solar panels on campus such as one the benches at Duke University. Furthermore, a majority of Universities have solar racing teams where student engineers form teams to construct solar powered racing cars which I find fascinating. 

I heavily encourage anyone in university or in High school to pursue  activities that either promotes or heavily delves into acts of sustainability. These are the best years of your life surrounded by equally passionate peers. Take advantage.