By Emmalee Frketich, Westmount Secondary School, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
When I was in grade nine, I saw a poster for my school’s environmental activism team, the EcoNinjas, and thinking it would be a good way to get involved in my new school, went to the first meeting. To put it simply, that decision changed my life. That day, I walked into a classroom full of students who were passionate about the environment, who weren’t afraid to stand up in what they believed in, who challenged each other to do better and were full of wonderful ideas. If you truly want to make change, it’s these types of people that you need to surround yourself with.
You don’t have to possess a certain list of traits, be a specific type of person or dedicate your life to the environment to be to changemaker; you just have to care and be willing to do something about it.
One of your first steps towards action can be getting certified as an Ontario EcoSchool. This voluntary program recognizes environmental action, and has a vision of certifying every school in the province. My school is at the Gold level right now, but I’m determined it will be Platinum by the time I graduate.
At the end of the day, what matters most is your passion to leave the world in better shape than than how you found it. Complacency is the environment’s greatest enemy. It’s the moment you pick up the pop can on the trail instead of walking by it that change starts to take hold.
When you put your heart into it, others will notice, get inspired, and follow your lead.
By supporting Ontario EcoSchools, you support youth like Emmalee to advocate for environmental change at school and beyond!
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