EarthPlex - Climate Platform for Teens

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The Benefits of Urban Parks

This graphic was developed and shared by Alexa Gallarod, age 13. Interested in submitting a post to EarthPlex? Visit the Submit a Post page!

From Avery Hendries, age 17 Dear USDA, Let’s talk about the current state of our farms. It is a known fact that livestock farming is causing a huge problem to our atmosphere, ecosystem, food, and well-being. Many may think that cutting out meat will help solve this issue since cows and livestock produce harmful gases like methane and destroy our lands. Vegetarians are disgusted by the way animals are treated in these “farms” and don’t want to support that industry. Well, I am no vegan, but quite frankly, I am disgusted as well. You see, though, the problem isn’t as simple as cutting out meat from your diet. Farming and growing livestock doesn’t have to be a harmful process. There are ways to nurture healthy animals and regrow the lands as well as diminish and actually remove CO2 production from farming. This is something called Holistic Management Farming. American author and environmentalist, Aldo Leopold, states that “[He] is glad [he] will not be young in a future without wilderne

Reimagining the Catwalk

By Tafadzwa Ashely Gore, age 16 Members of the human race Catwalks wearing sustainable fabric were a catastrophic contradiction of everything the designer imagined. The right clothes that flatter and last the years are far more environmentally sustainable than changing seasonally like fast fashion. Figure, classic, trendy, flattering, feminine spoke from her garments. It was all about body positivity, of raising self-esteem and helping others to nurture their self-love in their clothes and natural environment. And on the runway, she had become a goddess that was really part of her, and at least the audience accepted the same energy. When your clothes match your soul you will always be well dressed in the eyes of members of the human race. When it comes to catwalks, members of the human race are blind to these new trendy collisions. Sabotaging the younger generation with fast fashion instead of sustainable fashion for that matter, ruins creativity in society. Upon the catwalk, the sou

Response to Ozone Depletion vs Response to Global Warming

Response to Ozone Depletion vs Response to Global Warming By Mahia Rahman, age 16 First I urge you to compare these two sets of graphs In 1987 ozone levels dropped by 50%, and by the 1990s, scientists warned that by 2050 the ozone layer would collapse entirely. Considering the horrific consequences of ozone depletion, activists, scientists, and lawmakers worldwide proposed solutions. That same year, The United States and other big countries signed the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental treaty aimed at phasing out the production and consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer by putting forth rules, guidelines, and preventative measures countries should take to slow ozone depletion. In the following years, every single country in the world signed the Montreal Protocol. Every country that signed the Montreal Protocol began phasing out the production and consumption of Ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) like hydrofluorocarbons and Halons. Soon after the Montreal P

An Open Letter to the Chairman of the New York Times

From Emile Musallam, age 18 RE: Overpopulation and The Risk of Existence Dear A.G. Sulzberger: Everybody knows what overpopulation is, but nobody knows what harm overpopulation can cause to the world. A.G. Sulzberger; I am writing this letter to you so that you can spread the message of the harmful effects of overpopulation to the world. You own a very powerful outlet that almost the entire world knows about, The New York Times . Most people believe overpopulation isn’t a big deal and just sweep it under the rug. People aren’t aware of what issues it can cause, and since it isn’t directly affecting us too much yet, we seem to just ignore it completely. My goal is to educate and let the world know what long-term effects overpopulating the globe can cause to not just society/humans, but life existence itself. One of the primary sources I will use to inform you about overpopulation is https://hir.harvard.edu/public-health-and-overpopulation/ . I personally don’t have kids currently and

An Open Letter to Joe Biden

From Max Deatrick, age 18 Joe Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington, DC 20500 RE: New Recycling Dear Mr. President, I write to you not on my behalf but on behalf of the world. NASA scientists published in 2021 an article describing how their studies have shown that objects entering the earth’s atmosphere from space cause the objects to incinerate but the interesting fact is that there are little to no carbon emissions released when doing so. The article further explains how scientists in Virginia have created a device called a PEM, or Plasma Enhanced Melter, that heats up waste and regulates the amount of emissions it produces making for a much more eco-efficient way of “Recycling”. As you and I both know, trash buildups in coastal isles such as Tuvalu and the Maldives are being consumed by waste coming in from the ocean currents. Another thing we both know is that our US military has a working PEM aboard one or more of our aircraft carriers at sea currently. The PEM breaks dow

Hearing vs. Listening

Hearing vs. Listening By P.B, age 15 I was in a show called The Trials which largely focuses on the topic of climate change and society. After we finished a show, we would have a talkback with the audience, and give them the opportunity to share how they felt about the show and we would then share ways we could all help the environment. We wanted to have conversations and we wanted to help people understand. The director told us the next night, but after the first show, an elderly man went up to the director and told her that there was far too much swearing. In his words, “Kids don’t swear like that.” The director said that quite a few of them do, and wouldn’t the kids in the play be swearing given all that they’ve been through? Finally, she said that she hoped he took more from the play than just how much swearing there was. This man was focusing on the swear words, not the important words and messages built around them. Here is what we should be asking: what are you taking away fro

Taste food, not waste food (PSA)

Taste food, not waste food By Karis Hong, grade 9 This submission is part of an environmental PSA project created by students at Ocean View High School. Visit our Submit a Post page to feature your work on EarthPlex!

Sparky's Solar Garden Adventure

Sparky's Solar Garden Adventure By Anna, age 14 Meet Sparky, an animated character with an insatiable curiosity for the world around him. Unlike most environmental tales, Sparky's adventure takes us on a unique journey into the fascinating world of "Solar Gardens." One sunny morning, Sparky noticed something remarkable happening in his neighborhood. An empty lot had been transformed into a bustling community space filled with solar panels, flowers, and friendly faces. Sparky was curious and decided to explore this new place. As he ventured into the Solar Garden, Sparky discovered that it was more than just a beautiful place—it was a source of clean energy. The solar panels captured sunlight and turned it into electricity, providing power to nearby homes and buildings. Sparky was amazed at how the sun's energy could be harnessed in such a positive way. But that wasn't all. The Solar Garden was also home to a vibrant ecosystem of native plants and pollinators.

An Environmental Dilemma: Fireworks

An Environmental Dilemma: Fireworks By Jules Amorosi, age 17 I have always cared about the environment. I do what I can to lower my impact on climate change, pollution, and water usage. I make an effort to carpool. I avoid single-use plastics. I try to take shorter showers. And I get upset when I read about the huge issues facing our environment today. Over the summer, my environmental awareness increased drastically. My mind continued to be clouded with environmental thoughts and worries while I was on a trip to the beach. On the fourth of July, a few friends and I walked down to the bay to watch the annual fireworks show. We brought a picnic blanket and found a spot in the middle of the grassy field. The chatter and excitement of all the people surrounding us filled the vast space and heightened my anticipation for the show. My friends and I waited among the crowd for the show to begin. I imagined how the town had likely prepped for weeks for this spectacle, saving up money and hiri

A Message to Litterbugs

By Taiga Yoshida, age 17 Dear litterbugs, Please, start throwing your trash away. I know what you want to say; that small right corner of the Skittles bag just “blew” out of your hand, or that the extra plastic straw you grabbed at Starbucks found its way out of your driver seat window “on it’s own” while you were driving. Still, for every little piece of trash you litter, it creates far bigger problems than you would assume. I believe that in the world, two types of communities exist: those that leave small bits and pieces of waste lying on the ground, and those who manage to keep that small piece of aluminum from flying away in the wind, the community that keeps the extra plastic straw for the next person to use. This is the difference between Santa Monica and Singapore, and I learned about this difference and the ripple effect of littering at my local skatepark, where I saw trash all over, gum turned black, and floor flooded with plastic, where no one looked twice at a litterbug. Th

A Most Beautiful Land - A Climate Change Poem

A Most Beautiful Land By Lia Palma, age 16, Mission High School When Earth became a most beautiful land, grand mountains and oceans sprouted with trees for flora and fauna to breathe and stand To settle within the shores, states and seas They lived in harmonious existence adapting their ways along with their Earth When we then put Earth’s beauty at distance we bitterly found how much she was worth Our Earth’s cry for help was more than wilting flowers: conditions and toxins ruined our air, unpredictable weather and showers, and our whole Earth had turned hot with despair The only way to stop all this dying is to work together and keep trying Publish your writing to EarthPlex!

An Open Letter to Starbucks

An open letter to Starbucks: Think of the environment, not the Siren Written by Mia Risser, age 18 Dear Starbucks corporations, I am writing to inform you that the amount of plastic you produce and use every day is a big problem. As one of the biggest food and beverage companies in the world, you must try to better the environment in any way possible. Whether it be making a reusable alternative or producing less plastic as a company in general, your impact on the environment must change. A better environment is important for safety. A strong environment is important for development. A clean environment is important for human lives. As someone who has worked at Starbucks for almost two years, I know I have a significant reason to be writing this letter. In just a few hours, we go through hundreds of plastic cups. Starbucks—more than any other to-go coffee shop—“uses more than 8,000 cups in a minute, which adds up to more than four billion in a year,” as stated in the article by

How the Top 1% Are Making Global Warming Worse

How the Top 1% Are Making Global Warming Worse By Maya, age 15 Every day we are bombarded with articles about climate change, global warming, and the climate crisis. The truth is climate change is a major issue that threatens our future existence on this planet. While the insinuation, that as a result of our past behaviour, we may not live long enough to see a future isn’t pleasant, it is true and we must acknowledge first if we are to ever reverse our actions in time. We, normal people, are repeatedly told how to decrease our own individual carbon footprints, and while individual habits have formed part of the problem, it is mainly corporate giants and the ultra-rich that are currently the biggest players in the pollution of our planet. Between 2030 and 2050, a total of 250,000 additional deaths are expected to occur because of climate change, and most of these deaths will happen in developing countries that don’t have the facilities nor the resources to deal with the effects of clim