By Claire Hlotyak
If you were to ask current high school students what issues they care about, chances are they would say climate change. From science labs to social studies discussions, I have seen that Belmont High School (BHS) students show a real passion and drive to end climate destruction.
This keen interest doesn’t just end in the classroom, though. Belmont High has student-run clubs focused on learning, raising awareness, and educating our community and surrounding areas about the impact of climate change. One new BHS club is Project: Environment, run by Jessica Rui and Christina Xi. Rui and Xi are juniors at BHS. I was interested in their club because of their plan to create an informational website about the environment for BHS students and their emphasis on volunteer work.
Project Environment founders Christina Xi (left) and Jessica Rui. Photo: Claire Hlotyak
Rui and Xi are passionate about the environment and their club. They were inspired to start Project: Environment by summer trips to the beaches of Cape Cod and the forests of Acadia National Park, part of a climate research week aimed at encouraging girls to explore STEM fields. After building hydrophones, researching dolphin whistles, and studying and “becoming one with coastal seaweed,” as they described it, Rui and Xi wanted to continue their learning. They decided to create a website that will act as the go-to place for students to learn about the environment and find volunteer opportunities.
While they work on their site, which will include a crowdsourcing platform for others to share their research, they have set their sights on exploring local issues like carbon emissions, loss of species habitat, and the impact of waste pollution. One of their first goals for the club is to learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Rui and Xi also hope to have their club attend climate conferences and seminars and set up a booth at Town Day to spread the word about their project. While their original goal was to create a platform for students to research environmental issues and find volunteer opportunities, Rui and Xi hope to get the Belmont community involved in advocacy for the environment with a goal to one day reach people worldwide.
I am pleased to see high school students interested in the environment and impressed to see many taking action. Thanks to the endeavors of Project: Environment and others like them, a greener future may be closer than we think.
Claire Hlotyak is a senior at Belmont High School
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.