Climate change has been a major point of contention globally, but that’s not to say it is too grand of an issue to have an impact on smaller regions. In Traverse City, being close to the Great Lakes provides the area with an especially unique scenario. The lakes act as a buffer, protecting the county from harsh weather conditions, allowing all four seasons to take place, and comfortably at that. The area is known as a “hotspot” for climate refugees due to its favorable climate. However, it is still impacted by climate change, despite not experiencing the effects of exaggerated natural disasters and the melting of glaciers. One indirect impact is the influx of people who have been displaced from regions affected by natural disasters.
“Lots of people are going to relocate, and we live in a really great spot. The Great Lakes are gonna moderate [the climate], keep[ing] our winters warmer and our summers cooler,” AP Environmental teacher Mary Brisbois said.
To combat this, it is essential to preserve the area against the changing climate. The importance of following “the three R’s” has been drilled into generations of people. It seems, superficially, a monotonous rule, and a significant number are either ignorant to the impact it would make or simply don’t care. West used to have a recycling bin in the cafeteria, however this had to be taken away due to improper use. A solution to this would be increasing education surrounding the topic of recycling.
“Right now we are making our recycling boxes. They’re in all the teachers’ offices and they’re for recycling things that you can’t put in a regular recycling bin; markers, chargers, glue bottles. Then we’re also doing an empty can drive after Thanksgiving to raise funds to donate to an environmental organization that we’ll vote on. Then we’re trying to make a plan to bring recycling back into the cafeteria [as] there’s no recycling right now. There was [two years ago], but they took it away because kids don’t care and just throw whatever they want in there, so [the] staff ends up doing [all the work],” President of Environmental Club and junior Lucy Jones said.
For students, it can be difficult to contribute on a larger scale, which can be frustrating. Because of this, it becomes all the more critical to give back in local communities whether it is through the school or around the city.
“As students, a lot of the time, we feel powerless. We can’t vote, we don’t have a huge say in what goes on. Doing little things to help is really important because it gives you a voice and you have an impact,” Jones said.
