Washington Teens Make Their Voices Heard for the Environment
Young activists visit the statehouse to urge for climate accountability.
Where: Olympia, Washington
Who: 29 teen activists from the Seattle metro area
What: Students visited three legislators to discuss key elements of Washington state鈥檚 upcoming oil transport bill, specifically focusing on transparency, accountability, and dedicating funds for emergency response. The students also thanked supporters for passing a forage-fish bill and urged the legislature to demand more climate accountability from Washington state government.
Highlight: A surprise visit from Washington State governor Jay Inslee, who declared one of the students 鈥淲ashingtonian of the Day鈥 and praised her for her role in fighting what he described as the 鈥渆xistential threat of our time.鈥
In Their Own Words:
"I learned that I have more power to change things than I had previously thought. I now know that I can approach my representatives and they do care and will listen!"鈥擫iz A., Washingtonian of the Day for April 14, 2015
"The most important thing I can do to reduce the threat of climate change is inform my family and friends about it. If I know 10 people and each know 10 others, that would already be 100 people. And that's exactly what we want."鈥擲ahayra B.
Organizers: Mikhaila Gonzales and Jen Syrowitz of 探花精选 Washington
Program and Goals:
Teen Climate Leaders
- Nurturing the next generation of climate leaders
- Show teens pathways to conservation jobs
- Arm teens with real-life skills such as video editing and interviewing, media training, and visiting with legislators.