Hope for a Beautiful Future

Insight from a young mind poised to make a difference.

by Lydia DePillis

For some young people, it appears that the sun has set on the environmental movement
Photo: NREL
Anyone who lives in America and cares about the environment is bound to be just a little discouraged once in a while. Every day in the papers, a new study finds irreparable damage to our air, our water, our land. Each news cycle announces another regulation rolled back, another pro-industry political appointment made. As a young person, with no income to donate and no right to vote, it’s hard not to feel even more powerless.

So what’s a conscientious citizen to do in today’s profit-first, environment-second climate, with everyone looking out for the bottom line? Unfortunately, the response of the vast majority of the 13-25 year old set is simply to tune out. If you can’t see the destruction going on all around, maybe it’ll stop happening -- and at least you won’t have to feel the pain. I live in the city, where it’s easy to isolate oneself in the antiseptic indoors, blind to the planet’s imperiled state.

But guess what: we can’t make it go away by closing our eyes.

There are things I do in my life to make the news more bearable. Easy things, little things. Riding my bike to school. Participating in my school’s recycling club. Buying organic, patronizing used clothing stores. Living environmentally conscious lives is nothing less than a responsibility; just ask a kindergartener. We need to clean up after ourselves when we make a mess (which we try not to make in the first place), just like we would expect anyone else to do.

Leading by example, however, only goes so far. Let’s be realistic: living well in our own lives is an essential first step, but the threats to our environment from exponential population growth, a powerful business world, and rampant consumption cannot be averted by the isolated efforts of a few individuals who know what’s going on. In order to preserve this earth that we are privileged to inhabit, that we share with millions of other species, the news of its condition must be spread. That’s where we come in.

Creating tree-part harmony
Photo: NREL
In a world full of battles needing to be fought, none is more noble than that of protecting the planet for its inhabitants. The quality of the environment affects everyone, not just scientists who are out there monitoring it; how can we afford to lose a potential cure for cancer every time a species goes extinct, to move our houses every time global warming causes the sea to encroach on our beaches? By defending the earth, we don’t just save a few spotted owls or tropical butterflies. We protect humanity.

There is no reason why people cannot live in harmony with nature. Reducing our impact is as easy as making the environment a bit higher on our list of priorities. If everyone thought before they bought that second car, that bigger house, or even had that third child, there is no telling what better lives we all could live.

I have hope for a beautiful future. Look around you, and see if you can find it too.


Lydia DePillis is a 16 year-old junior at Garfield High School in Seattle (go Bulldogs!). She is involved in the Latin Club, the school newspaper, and (one of her favorites), the Earthcorps recycling club. You may see her riding her bike on the streets of Seattle, wishing cars were not so darn big.

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