The world around us changes, for better or for worse. Throughout my life, I’ve learned that the things we do can impact our environment one way or another. When I was only eight years old, I threw a piece of garbage onto the sidewalk. It could have been anything, from candy wrappers to soda cans. It didn’t matter to me as a child. I’ve never considered how this would impact the environment at all and had put myself under the impression that “the garbage man would clean it up anyways.” It was only one piece of trash, it doesn’t matter, right? I could only lie to myself for so long.
As I grew up, I began to see the truth unfold right in front of my face.
The increasing impact of natural disasters, the ocean levels rising, and most importantly the air pollution present in our environment. I look back at that moment when I littered at 8 years old and realize not only my impact on the environment but the impact on my community as well. It dawned on me that a lot of people disregard any care for the environment we live in, for the world that we live in. However, what mattered the most is that I realized I could no longer be one of those people. I wanted to take the initiative and be a part of all the other heroes that work in the green force. I wanted to actually make a change and try to change the environment for the better.
I began to think, what would a better world look like? I picked up a pencil and paper and I drew what I envisioned as a better world. Green grasses, trees, blossoming flowers and streets free of litter and skies vibrant as ever. It felt like utopia, a truly perfect world. However, there’s a lot to work towards in order to reach such a goal, and of course I have to play my part in it. If I desire to achieve a world that blooms vibrantly, I’ll have to engage with the green workforce, and become one of the heroes that work very hard to spread awareness of climate change and social equity. I know I must make connections with equal minded people so that we can all develop a common ground and work towards the vision that not only we desire, but the vision everyone desires.
As a child, I didn’t understand what greenhouses were for, nor did I understand how something as simple as gardening worked. All I knew is they were pleasing to the eye. I wanted to treasure every lily, every daisy, and every tulip just to show how much I appreciated nature. Even while I was still young, I would try to pour water over a tiny little sapling in hopes that it would grow into something big like an apple orchard. I didn’t know what I did wrong, I didn’t know why the sapling didn’t last. I was very naive. There was so much that I didn’t know, and so much that I needed to know.
A formative experience was when I visited my community garden and saw the well constructed gazebo surrounded by a plethora of flowers, back when it was so lively. There was an array of roses and sunflowers and the garden looked so nourished. The scent of the garden was pure bliss. It was like laying on a hammock on the beach, enjoying the sun. It was that, turned into a smell. I felt pure joy and happiness. It was a moment I could only wish lasted eternally. This experience was one of the leading factors that shaped who I am today.
Another important experience I had was when me and my family took a trip to the farm when I was around 10 years old or so. My family and I began picking fruits to harvest for ourselves. I wanted to be the one to pick my fruits because I wanted to see how responsibility would be at an early age. Therefore, I wanted to use the ladder to pick the fruits from the tree without support, but my parents feared I wasn’t ready to do such a thing. I used my voice to tell them, “I am strong enough, I can do this” and they allowed me to proceed, which I then successfully used the ladder to pick my fruit. This moment shaped my resilience and taught me the power of my voice and how I can use it to defend myself.
Throughout my years of childhood, I learned to appreciate my environment and the beauty of nature.
Later on as I grew up, I began questioning what values truly lead me in life. There is no doubt that everyone makes decisions in their lives, but what truly guides them into making their decisions? For me, it would be compassion and honesty. I chose these values because having compassion for one another allows you to develop incredible relationships that will definitely allow you to make great decisions. Honesty, a very powerful value, helps a lot when it comes to decision making. It reminds me to say the truth and always be truthful, even when situations can get rough.
I’ve also just thought about how bad littering is for the environment, which made me once again think about my eight-year-old self throwing trash on the ground. It has a major connection to climate change, as most environmental things do. One climate change fact is that the mass amount of littering contributes to greenhouse gas production, which is also confirmed to have adverse effects on the environment. Another climate change fact is that it contributes to the harm of other animals, such as sea turtles. These two reasons caused me to be heavily against littering, as I now look for nearby trash cans rather than outright throwing them on the ground.
As I continued through my high school journey, I began taking part in climate change through my internship for the organization SolarONE during my sophomore year of highschool. Through that internship, my awareness of climate change reached its full potential. I learned about greenhouse gasses, how we impact the environment, and so much more. It was because of this internship that my eyes were fully opened to the world around me.
It made me want to learn even more about climate change and expand my network by connecting with even more people that work in the green workforce.
After I’ve completed my internship at SolarONE, I’ve continued on to Climate Generation, where I’m continuing to connect with more people in the green workforce and get to learn more about what they do. In the end, I like to refer to people in the green workforce with the title of heroes because of all the work they do for the sake of our environment. That is what they are. They are like-minded individuals that know how to appreciate their environment and fight for justice as they see fit. This is my climate story, thank you.
Samian Hossain is a high school student studying in New York City, learning more about the environment and the importance of climate justice as he gets to know more about the workers who work in such fields. He engaged himself in internships related to climate change and made valuable connections along the way. He’s taken great interest in topics related to climate justice and the environment and wishes to only continue pursuing his dreams.