A Voice in the Wild
Story appeared in the 2018 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY HAYLEY PICARD, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
The generation with the most to lose…
The human fingerprint on climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and today’s youth are considered by the United Nations to be the most vulnerable to its consequences. From shifting weather patterns impacting food production and rising sea levels, to the accelerated melting of our polar ice sheets, our world is changing quickly and QMS students are raising their voices, working hard to alter our course.
“As graduates this year, we are hoping that we can help contribute to a positive legacy.”
It takes courage to advocate for change. Change is difficult and it can mean getting uncomfortable. For many adults it means the difficult realization that our actions have been part of a collective global pattern of excessive waste, pollution and an arrogant mindset that we will not have to worry about the consequences in our lifetime. Yet, our children and grandchildren are calling our bluff. They are initiating conversations with decision-makers in an effort to help turn the tide.
QMS students are being galvanized to action by courses in Environmental Science, Social Justice, climate-centred school workshops, green clubs, and engaging in extra-curricular events such as the Model United Nations. These passionate leaders of tomorrow initiated student surveys to use as measurable indicators of climate change awareness as a means to suggest alternatives to shrink our institution’s environmental footprint to QMS administration.
The School’s existing Earth friendly initiatives such as using compostable cutlery and cups and eliminating food trays in our cafeteria, a solar panel on the roof of Residence, and reducing paper consumption, have been enriched by simple suggestions of decreasing plastic waste and increasing the number of vegetarian lunches each week to offset our greenhouse gas emissions. “We discovered that students responded with enthusiasm to having more vegetarian meals weekly and are motivated to do what they can,” explains Grade 12 students Cat Dalgliesh and Leah Kriegler. “As graduates this year, we are hoping that we can help contribute to a positive legacy.”
For students interested in public debate and research, this year’s Model UN focus on Climate Change was the perfect opportunity to delve into international policies and gain perspective on the pressure being placed on global governments to conserving nature. To Aniela Hagen, Grade 8, it was interesting to learn how different countries are working towards targets such as those in the Paris Agreement. “We still have a long way to go. People are working on things and it’s getting better, but it’s still not good enough.”
Greta Thunberg, an articulate advocate for climate action, initiated “Fridays for Future”—a series of strikes held around the world, uniting youth and adults in the fight for Mother Earth. For these crusaders, rising up and taking direct action provides the chance to gain intergenerational equity, the idea that future generations have a right to inherit a livable planet. For Hagen, the Youth Strike for Climate (part of the Fridays for Future series), was educational. “I learned what the City of Duncan was doing specifically and it was very interactive. I felt like I was making a difference, instead of everyone else.”
These activists are at the forefront. Their voices, their passion and their reasoning are valuable and it is incumbent upon all generations to listen to each other and find common ground—our futures all hang in the balance.