Thoughts from a Bay Area High School Environmentalist
by Samantha Barghahn
I once had no hope for the environment, but I have learned that "if we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something" (Howard Zinn).
My sophomore biology teacher at San Mateo High School once showed our class a graph of the worst-case scenario for global warming by 2050. The graph indicated that many countries would be uninhabitable. Inevitably, my class was stimulated, and a heated debate ensued, but as soon as the bell rang, everyone seemed to forget about this world-altering information. I have to admit the statistics made me feel helpless. However, I was unable to get the graph out of my head. I could not believe that people could carry on with their lives without making simple changes that could affect the outcome of our planet and the quality of living for future generations.
I made some radical decisions. I quit acting -- I was formerly an actress -- and devoted my time to environmental change. I began helping out at local restoration projects but I didn’t feel like I was making a big enough difference. After what seemed like an endless search, I came across EarthTeam.net, a national environmental youth network. I made contact with Lana Husser, Earth Team Multi-Media Coordinator, who would soon become my mentor and publisher. During my internship with EarthTeam, I started my own column for "The Green," EarthTeam’s newsletter, and my alias became Dr. Green.
I added to my responsibilities by speaking at national conferences about global warming. At the National Middle College High School Conference, I spoke to a group of inner-city youth. I received more than 200 letters from students asking how they could get involved in the environmental movement. After my speech, I earned my own spot on The Green Screen, a Bay Area cable TV show produced by teens at the KCRT television studio in Richmond. Because my character as Dr. Green is intended to entertain young audiences, working on the set of The Green Screen has been utterly amusing. Today, I speak about climate change awareness at conferences around the nation.
Recently, I have begun writing grants to raise money for global climate change education in underprivileged schools and to encourage upcoming candidates to address environmental issues, and just this month, I received Youth Service America’s Red, White and Green Grant. I was also featured for my environmental work on a pilot for Fone Pony, a network for young girls.
Every month starting in October, I have been participating in EarthTeam’s Global Warming Campaign in which representatives of several Bay Area high schools are calculating the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by their school. We are working to raise money to purchase the equal amount of oxygen emissions to offset our schools' contribution to global warming. I am making a documentary with EarthTeam to record this collective effort that will be released on Earth Day 2007.
My environmental activism and speaking experience have allowed me to take a step further in my quest to make an environmental impact on the community. I was selected to be trained by Al Gore to make his popular speech, "An Inconvenient Truth," in Nashville, Tennessee. I have been intensively preparing to deliver this speech in over ten different venues to students around the country. I have already presented the speech to seven different receptive audiences who have only reinforced my hope for a green future.
Aside from my environmental goals, my academic aspiration has always been to study at the world-famous communications program at New York University. Because my passion is global warming awareness, one may think that my first choice college major would be science oriented. However, I have given this choice careful thought.
Scientists are constantly compiling new and compelling evidence for global climate change; I am not concerned about "proving" its existence. Instead, I feel the pressing need is something I am skilled at -- communication. In my opinion, hard scientific evidence of climate change is only as effective as those who present it. The current state of the climate crisis demands that this information be disseminated clearly and rapidly.
In Nashville, Tennessee, at Al Gore's The Climate Project training, many of my fellow trainees were internationally renowned scientists. Despite the noteworthy backgrounds of my fellow trainees, I noticed more than ever what global warming awareness is missing -- engaging communicators.
At NYU and in my future work, I plan to bring an entirely new angle to this cause. Through advertising and public relations, I intend to put a new face on an environmental lifestyle. By promoting ecological awareness as a fashionable and necessary way of life, I will remove the outmoded environmental stereotype that prevents so many people from changing their ways. Using my education, I want to become the marketing director for an environmental corporation.
Aside from my academic objectives, I only have one personal goal. I could say that I want to save the world and start a family, but the truth of the matter is, my only goal is happiness. It just so happens that making a connection with people and making a difference in the climate crisis does the trick.
Samantha Barghahn is currently a senior at San Mateo High School. She is a member of EarthTeam, a Bay Area youth environmental activism organization. Barghahn will enter NYU in the Fall.
