By Alice Meek, Wylie Elementary School, Dexter, Michigan

What are some of the things I have heard about climate change? What has inspired me to take action? I noticed a problem in my school. There’s trash all over the playgrounds. One day my friend and I thought of ways to help this issue, so we decided to schedule a meeting with our principal.

We talked about getting more trash cans, picking up trash and asking classes to help, and making an announcement in the morning. Thus, in the end, we got three more trash cans.

We made a slideshow to present to our class and to email to all the teachers for them to share. We ended up picking up trash, inspiring a lot of other classes to do so. Last but not least, we made a morning announcement at least three times explaining why we started to take action. 

Who inspired me to write this essay? My favorite activist, Greta Thunberg, the way she is so bold, smart, and courageous is just intriguing to me.

“We live in a strange world, but it’s the world that our generation has been handed, it’s the only world we’ve got.” 

-Greta Thunberg 

Burning gas and fossil fuels is a horrible thing for the Earth, so stopping will do a part in saving the Earth.

---

Planet Detroit partnered with the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition and teachers across Michigan to recruit these youth voices on how climate change affects kids’ lives. Here are their stories.

By: Alice Meek, 4th Grade

Teacher: Susan Karsch, Wylie Elementary, Dexter

Subject: Climate Change

Theme: Climate Change Resilience and Action

Type: Written Reflection