EarthPlex - Climate Platform for Teens

  The Climate Change News of 2020 | Earth Rewind ⏱2.5 minute read 2020 was a crazy year; life changed as we know it, and the world will forever be altered. Even though the coronavirus pandemic took over the news, the climate change threat has grown. This post will highlight the challenges and the progress from this year.  Wildfires 2020 began with a bang. The 2020 Australian wildfires were one of the first omens that this would be a bad year. Australia experienced unprecedented fires that ravaged parts of the beautiful country. Later in the year, another season of California wildfires began. They seem to worsen each year. The forest fires displaced citizens and weakened our economy, with a lot more damage in store. These wildfires are caused by global warming and a lack of forest management. For you: Climate Emergency: Wildfires  Reduced Emissions 2020 brought a nasty recession which caused millions of people to lose their jobs. Because industry slowed, emissions did as w...

The Environmental Impact of Christmas ⏱ 2 minute read Christmas is the most famous holiday in the United States, and probably even throughout the globe. According to Google Trends, Christmas has been searched more than other popular holidays year-after-year in the United States. Christmas began as a religious holiday to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though the holiday is still a high holiday for the Christian faith, it has largely turned into a commercial holiday. Christmas season begins on Black Friday, a day infamous for overconsumption. Recommended:  The Environmental Impact of Black Friday Christmas Trees Each year, millions of Christmas trees are sold. There are two types of Christmas trees; the first is the artificial tree that is usually made from plastic, and the other type is the real tree. We need trees  to balance the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and surprisingly, real Christmas trees support forest growth. The Nature Conservancy s...

Meet the Young Graphic Designer Using Her Passion to Save the World  ⏱3.5 minute read Everybody has a passion. Some people sing, and some dance. Some people use their talents for social good and to make the world a better place. EarthPlex had the opportunity to interview Sara Deshpande, a young graphic designer who uses her talents to spread climate awareness on the creative team of the Green Schools Campaign.  What would you say you have done to spread climate awareness?  I have participated in many climate strikes in my community and I try and educate people as much as I can about climate change. I have done some school projects about climate change and I help organizations like The Green Schools Campaign to help make a change. Throughout my life I have been aware of this growing problem so my family and I have always chosen the cleaner and safer options in everyday things like recycling, using an electric car , walking to places as much as possible, using less plastic ...

I Stopped Eating Red Meat: Five Month Update ⏱ 2 minute read On July 16, 2020, I decided that I would no longer eat red meat; only on special occasions. Red meat is primarily found in mammals such as cows and lambs. I quit eating red meat because of the potential health benefits, ethical reasons, and - of course - reducing my diet's carbon footprint. Now that it's 5 months (I'm writing this on Thanksgiving), I have a better understanding of how this has impacted my body. Since I began this challenge, I have only eaten red meat about two or three times. I divided my last update (linked at the end of this post) into two sections: health and cravings. I reflected on how I felt without eating red meat along with my desire - or lack thereof - to stuff myself with steak or roast beef. If you don't feel like reading this entire post (I have a short attention span so I understand), I feel just fine and I rarely crave red meat. Health In terms of how I physically feel, I have n...

 Debunked: If Climate Change Is Real, Why is it Snowing? ⏱ 1-1.5 minute read Winter is upon us, and it's a climate denier's favorite time of year. Climate deniers have used winter and snow as a way to "prove" that climate change is not a concern. Just watch this clip of Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe bringing a snowball to the Senate floor to make a point. I wish climate change wasn't something to be concerned about, but the science shows that climate change is real, and it isn't appropriate for politicians to go against the scientists and experts. Unless you live by the equator, you have probably experienced winter, a cold season that often brings snow. So, how can climate change exist if it's super cold outside? Well, two words are very important to know: weather and climate. Weather is described as the changes in our atmosphere in the short  term, while climate is the changes in our atmosphere over a long  period.  A freezing day is the weather, but the te...

 Responding to The Green Schools Campaign Instagram Posts  ⏱ 2.5 minute read The Green Schools Campaign is an organization with the mission to "transition every school in the world to 100% renewable energy by creating a diverse, global network of young activists ready to fight fossil fuel companies in their local communities." EarthPlex interviewed Cooper Powers recently, a researcher for the organization, so we decided to look into Instagram posts from the Green Schools Campaign. View this post on Instagram A post shared  by Green Schools Campaign (@greenschoolscampaign) Our bodies aren't meant to breathe dirty air. Humans need clean and safe air to live comfortably which shows that we're already feeling the wrath of the climate crisis. We must limit how much crap people and corporations can put into our atmosphere.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Green Schools Campaign (@greenschoolscampaign) Climate ske...

 Forest App - Full Review ⏱ 2-2.5 minute read I try to be productive. I watch videos online about working efficiently, and I - for the most part - apply what I learn to my life. Still, there are weeks when I don't feel like doing anything, and I fall behind on work. I found an app a few months back that aims to "double your productivity" by beating phone addiction. That caught my eye, so I installed it and tried it out. The app is called Forest; it was developed by Seekrtech . I have already posted my first impressions, but that was my first time trying it out. Since then, I've used the app more times and gotten to better understand it. Read: Forest App First Impressions - Will it Solve Procrastination? How it works Here's how it works: I open the app, and I choose the amount of time I want to spend working, and I pick the virtual tree I want to plant. The tree in the screenshot above is a Christmas tree, but I can select other "plants" as well. I click...

Climate Change Will Cause Millions of Deaths  Climate change will inevitably worsen, which can kill ecosystems and many animals. Yes, that includes humans. People will die from climate change-related causes; in fact, many already have, and many more will.  A WHO article says that "climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year , from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress" between 2030 and 2050.  Climate change deaths will, and have already, disproportionately impacted third-world and developing countries. In other words, those who least cause the problem will have it the worst. That's like screaming into a quiet person's ear in which the people who make the least noise are deafened the most. Please leave a better simile in the comments because my similes are bad.  Could you die from climate change? I can't give you a yes or no answer because I'm not looking into a crystal ball. What I can say is that the place t...