Boulder Valley School District: Earth Day, Students Take Action To Fight For Our Planet

Boulder CO

22 April, 2022

6:09 AM

Description

Press release from the Boulder Valley School District: April 20, 2022 Following this year's Marshall Fire, students are taking action to save our planet for future generations. "The fight to combat climate change is central," said Centaurus High School senior, John Denton. "If our current leaders cannot win this fight, we will have to." This is what is running through the minds of students in the EcoWarriors club at Centaurus High School, as they prepare for the 2022 Tree-Plenish event. An event that, at its face, is about replenishing trees lost in the Marshall Fire, but is rooted in a fight for the survival of our planet. "Our generation needs to play an active role in the struggle to reduce humanity's carbon footprint, as we will have to live in whatever future we create," said Denton. The recent Marshall Fire resonated with the students in the EcoWarriors club, making their efforts to combat climate change much more personal and urgent. "I think that the BVSD community should know that our generation is suffering. In school we are being prepared for a future that might not exist," said Denton. "Our world is not the same one our parents got to grow up in." The Tree-Plenish event started as an initiative by the Centaurus High School EcoWarriors to plant a few trees in their neighborhoods to try to offset their carbon footprint. After the Marshall Fire, club leaders Ava Moorhead and Caroline Armstrong knew they had to expand their efforts. "I think our community and the earth are in desperate need of support," said Centaurus High School senior and EcoWarriors co-president, Caroline Armstrong. "This project is a perfect opportunity to bring everyone together and restore some of the vegetation lost in the Marshall Fire." The EcoWarriors connected with eco clubs at Boulder High, Monarch High, Peak to Peak Charter School, and Fairview High, to create a new goal to plant 1,200 trees in the Boulder County area to replenish some of the vegetation lost in the fire. "When we decided to expand this project, we were a little nervous about meeting our goal of 1,200 trees, but we beat that goal by at least 600 trees. People are really excited and ready to help each other and the planet!" said Armstrong. The community rallied behind the event, and they were able to sell 2,338 tree saplings that they will be distributing and planting on Earth Day, April 22, 2022. "I'm an avid reader of climate news and issues, and seeing it come to our doorstep was really scary," said Centaurus High School sophomore, Ira Nathan. "I hope that with these trees we can try to make a difference to replace what was lost and the pain caused by global inaction." "I have seen the burn scars. We evacuated," said Nathan. The EcoWarriors have been a student-run club at Centaurus High School for more than 10 years now. Similar clubs are sprouting across the District, all focused on helping our planet. Students everywhere are realizing the impacts climate change is having on our planet and they are rising to do something about it. Their efforts don't stop here. As successful as this event has been, they are aware of the battles they must still face as they grow up in a world where climate change is still a matter of discussion instead of action. "EcoWarriors is, to me, just the beginning of our struggle," said Denton. "I wish to learn leadership and organizational skills so that I can be a leader in the political fight to save our planet. A fight that shouldn't have to be fought but does." These students are not only preparing to become our future leaders, but they are also preparing to fight for the survival of our planet. This press release was produced by the Boulder Valley School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.