The planet has started to feel the effects of climate change, and juniors Katie Farthing and Peggah Ahmadi, members of of Green Team, share ways students can contribute to saving the planet. 

The planet is being destroyed. If you look at any news outlet at any moment, it is almost guaranteed you will see a story on a new issue related to climate change. Although this is a controversial subject, there is no denying the fact that the climate around the world is changing. As a teenager, it may seem that there is nothing we can do to help save the planet, but in reality, any small change you make can only benefit us. Here are some tips from Green Team members Katie Farthing and Peggah Ahmadi. 

1. Join Green Team

Green Team is a club that started at Potomac Falls last school year that is dedicated to improving the environment by doing small things within the school. Every Tuesday and Thursday, members of the club meet after school and go through trash to move recyclables into the recycling bins. They also planted vegetables in the courtyard last year. “Our whole mission is to make our school a more environmentally conscious and friendly place,” said Farthing. 

2. Reduce Plastic Use as Much as Possible

According to ourworldindata.org, plastic can take anywhere from 450-1,000+ years to decompose. This is a very long time, but there are many alternatives to using plastic products. Simply using canvas bags instead of plastic bags while shopping, or purchasing a reusable water bottle rather than buying plastic water bottles, will make a huge difference by keeping thousands of pounds of plastic out of the landfills. 

3. Carpool Everywhere

Although it’s tempting to drive yourself everywhere once you receive your license, carpooling is a simple way to reduce carbon emissions and help combat climate change. If you and a neighbor are both going to the same place, such as school, offer to drive them.  “I think the biggest threat to our planet right now is climate change. We have to change our lifestyles because so much of what we do contributes to climate change,” said Farthing.

4. Compost at Home

Composting sounds complicated and time consuming, but anyone can do it, and it’s actually pretty easy. All you need is a composting bin, some greens, and food scraps, which can make fertilizer that can go into soil. This is a simple way to reduce waste. 

5. Pick Up Trash That You See

This is by far the simplest thing you can do to help the planet. It requires little to no effort and can be done at anytime. According to a study done by the University of Georgia, 18 billion pounds of plastic trash winds up in our oceans each year. If you just take two seconds out of your day, our planet will have so much less waste in our oceans. 

“A very common misconception is that helping our planet is hard, but it’s actually far from the truth. There are so many positives to all of these things. It’s a simple change that will make a huge difference,” said Ahmadi.