NYC Students Get Environmentally Engaged

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Issue Area: Climate & Energy

Ever wonder if an engine could run on algae -- and if so, whether or not you could build it? Or how about that local, toxic, abandoned plot of land that you wish could be sustainably restored? Well, wonder no more, because a group of 100 New York City Public High School Students have figured out new, creative ways to address these critical environmental issues and more.

We partnered with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the NY Department of Education last fall to engage NYC urban students in critical research that would inspire them to design multimedia projects on topics dealing with our global environment.

The result was incredible. For six months, individual teams dug into UN resources at the historic NY Public Library. The students emerged educated, empowered, and ready to take on issues such as climate change, energy efficiency, toxic waste, health effects from pollution, and environmental technology.

The result of their immersion and research was an inspiring and informative exhibition and event. Twenty schools lined the halls of the NY Public Library with computers and posters showcasing the websites that they had built dealing with their topics and displaying mini models of their eco-engines and Brownfield maps.

New York City citizens, judges, invited guests, and 300 of their peers asked students questions and tested their designs. Across the hall, UNEP’s expansive aerial photos documenting our deteriorating environment created a dynamic and critical conversation starter and reminded the audience that while students’ projects might be focused on the local, this crisis is global.

As students sat at the end of the day listening to the UN Foundation’s National Advocate Gillian Sorensen inspire them through the lens of the United Nations and our united effort to take action on a global scale, one couldn’t help but be moved. As we depart Earth Day, head into World Environment Day on June 5, and gear up for the intense discussions on climate change that will take place in international governments over the next eight months, these 100 New York City public students are a reminder that the discussion and, more importantly, the action is universal.

It does not matter if you are Secretary-General of the United Nations or a teenager in Crowne Heights, Brooklyn -- everyone has a role to play in reversing the effects of climate change, and everyone has a right to be included in the process to protect our environment.

To learn more about other students taking on climate change, visit the Climate Crews page to read about college projects.

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