Each year, Earth Day raises public awareness of climate change and calls for environmental protection.  In honor of this year’s Earth Day April 22, students and faculty at Sacred Heart Greenwich collaborated to increase awareness of environmental issues through the planning of a series of Earth Week celebrations.  Senior Regina Finn and junior Katie May, both students in the Science Research elective, shared their concerns about the planet and the need to remember the important role in combating pollution.

Earth Day began in 1970, receiving support from people all over the country, and led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, according to earthday.org. The 2022 theme of Earth Day is “invest in our planet.”  Adolescents are demanding that people invest in the planet because the following decades will determine the health of the climate for future generations.

Youth climate activists Ms. Kallan Benson and Ms. Lilly Platt raised awareness concerning the idea of transformational change for people and the planet, according to earthday.org.  Ms. Benson is the national coordinator of Fridays for Future USA and the co-organizer of the Outreach Working Group for Fridays for Future International.  

Ms. Platt, a Youth Ambassador for the Plastic Pollution Coalition and a Child Ambassador for Hands on the World (HOW) Global and World Cleanup Day, helped to fight plastic pollution, according to earthday.org.  Ms. Platt shared the importance of adolescents making a change.

“You don’t have to be a grown-up to do something,” Ms. Platt said.  “Children are allowed to help the environment.  If they don’t, they won’t have a future,” according to earthday.org. 

Similar to these young activists, students at Sacred Heart spread awareness about environmental issues throughout Earth Week.  Faculty and students organized a week of activities, including nature walks and informative discussions, which culminated in an all-school celebration of Earth Day April 22.  Katie and Regina are addressing issues that affect the planet through their specific research projects.  In her project, Regina recognized the power of Earth Day through the lens of deforestation and its impact on the entire world.

“Trees are vital to a forest’s health and an ecosystem’s health.  They provide a lot of resources for not only humans, but also animals by giving them habitat and resources to live and grow,” Regina said.  “If trees die and they are not able to regrow on earth’s soil, you are hurting an entire ecosystem and how our earth survives.  It’s important that we call attention to environmental issues, because that is what will spark people’s interest and devotion to care for the environment.”

Earth Day acts as an annual reminder to protect and invest in the environment.  Katie studies the climate of exoplanets.  She discussed her research and the need to appreciate and help the climate.  Further, Katie pressed the importance of understanding the situation to better help the planet.

“Although there is a large push to search for potentially habitable planets outside of our solar system, I think it is important to be grateful for the planet that we do have,” Katie said.  “Our world needs to change the way that we look at problems that don’t necessarily affect us. Sometimes when we don’t feel the negative impacts of climate change ourselves, we may not be compelled to act.”

Featured Image by Helena Randolph ’24