In the fall of my senior year, I lead a group of students to Representative Bill Pascrell’s office. The Jesuit identity of my school seeks to treat the environment with respect. The EPA proposed the Clean Power Plan which seeks to nationally reduce carbon-emissions by 30% by 2030. However, congress has been relentless and has threatened the bill many times. At the meeting with Mr. Pascrell, I discussed a more hands-off approach when it comes to the EPA. After all, it’s a separate agency with people who are dedicated to the study of the environment. It makes sense to allow the people whose focus is the environment, the EPA, to do their jobs. In addition, the Jesuit identity also recognizes a preferential protection for the poor. As temperatures go up and rising tides flood lands, the poorest of the poor will be the ones who suffer most. This is why I decided to voice my opinions to Mr. Pascrell.
I am a singer, so I drink A LOT of water! Pictured here is the 72 oz. jug I carry around every day to school, often filling it up 2 or 3 times with tap water. I believe that the water bottle industry is one of the most selfishly greedy, inefficient, and wasteful industries in existence. In my Christian Ethics Class, which is essentially a sociology class with a hint of Catholic Social Teaching, I made a project addressing these beliefs.
After presenting my project to my classmates, teachers, and the administrations, I decided that I wanted to do more. I created the Senior Gift Fund, which is both a fundraiser and a design competition. First of all, I held a design competition to acquire a custom logo to be put on reusable bottles. A donation of $20 or more gets students a free bottle and goes towards installing Hydration Stations. These specialized water fountains are designed to promote the use of reusable bottles by making it simple and sanitary. Below is the winning design of the competition, made by Gerard Gomilla’15 !
At the foundation of my drive to take actions that spread my beliefs are my mentors. My mom (far-left) and Ambassador Nathalie Cely (middle) have always been there to give me advice with my Environmental projects like the Senior Gift Fund and speaking with Rep. Bill Pascrell on the Catholic perspective on the environment.
Ambassador Cely has inspired me to push further for the changes I want to see in the world. The re-written Ecuadorian constitution is the only one that grants rights to Nature.
Ambassador Cely has inspired me to push further for the changes I want to see in the world. The re-written Ecuadorian constitution is the only one that grants rights to Nature.
