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...

    The Best YouTube Channels for Climate Education I watch a lot of  YouTube like most teenagers do. While many people waste their time watching PewDiePie and Logan Paul, I try to learn as much as I can on the video platform. I watch a lot of videos about our planet, so I compiled a list of some of the best channels to learn about climate change. Our Changing Climate Our Changing Climate is perhaps the most well-known YouTube channel that focuses entirely on climate and the environment. The channel posts biweekly videos covering topics such as consumerism  and potential solutions to the climate crisis . I strongly recommend this channel for anybody who wants to know how our lives affect the Earth. Hot Mess Hot Mess is a PBS Digital Studios channel that covers a variety of topics related to climate change. They cover the basics of climate science in an easy-to-understand way. This channel is best for curious viewers who want to know the fundamentals of climate c...

What is The Environmental Impact of Back Friday? Thanksgiving is arguably the most famous American holiday. Americans have a large feast with their families and stuff themselves with turkey and other delicacies. This post is not about Thanksgiving - though we plan on posting about it in the future - it's about the holiday the next day: Black Friday. Americans have celebrated Black Friday for decades now, and the tradition has spread across the globe.  What is Black Friday? Black Friday is about consumerism. Stores lower their prices which is followed by mobs of shoppers wanting to buy as much as they can. The holiday is infamous for fights emerging over discounted products. Black Friday represents consumerism in the western world; today, Americans buy more material goods than ever before even though they are proven not to make Americans happier. Corporations have created new holidays to increase consumer spending as well. These include Prime Day and Cyber Monday. Many people make l...

Response: The Problem with Consumerism from Our Changing Climate  Our Changing Climate is an EarthPlex-recommended source to learn about climate change. The channel has a variety of videos relating to the earth and pollution. I tend to agree with what the videos' narrator says, but when I watched the Our Changing Climate video called The Problem with Consumerism , I felt rather surprised. The video began by saying that South Korea invested billions of dollars into clean energy and creating green jobs in 2009, a time when the economy was slumping. The plan worked in the sense that the economy recovered, but emissions continued to rise despite South Korea's efforts. The narrator explained that this is because of consumerism. People in developed nations buy more stuff than ever which causes emissions to skyrocket. Holidays like Black Friday didn't used to exist, but now consumerism is a staple of western culture. Cutting down emissions will be incredibly challenging with th...

Plastic Straws - The Basics  Plastic straws are everywhere. If you order a drink at a restaurant, you are guaranteed to get one. They make it easier to drink beverages, and using them is better than drinking right from a glass. Yet, these straws have been banned in many cities across the world. Why? Do governments dislike convenience? No. It's a bit more complicated. According to National Geographic , the drinking straw was first patented  in 1888  by Marvin Stone. It was made out of paper, and it wasn't until the 1960s when plastic straws were mass-produced. Since then, plastic straws have exploded in popularity. NatGeo estimates that 500 million of them are used daily (keep in mind that these are pre-Covid numbers). Even though everyone loves convenience (just take a look at the bottled water industry) , it can come at a cost, and in the case of drinking straws, it definitely does. If 500 million straws are used daily, 182,500,000,000 straws are used each year. Each hum...

  Thoughts on the McDonald's McPlant Burger  It's no secret that fast food companies have a history of pollution, and although they're still not particularly eco-friendly, they have put in more effort. Burger King announced that they will feed some cows a diet that will cause them to emit less methane , and many fast-food chains have some sort of plant-based meat alternative. McDonald's is late to this trend, but they announced that they will offer vegan burgers at more locations beginning 20. The "McPlant" is McDonald's vegan burger alternative, and it's a big deal. McDonald's is the largest and most influential fast-food chain. That means that plant-based burgers will likely become more popular at burger joints; McDonald's wasn't a leader in this trend by any measure. They've been hesitant to include plant-based burgers on their menu for years, and they still haven't fully embraced it. The McPlant was unveiled alongside a McDonald...

Dear President-Elect Joe Biden, Congratulations on winning this unusual election. 2020 has been a crazy year, and there is more chaos to come. When you get inaugurated, we ask that you keep your promises and fight for the change we so desperately need. With the effects of climate change becoming more and more apparent, America must lead the world by passing a bold plan. EarthPlex approves your climate change plan, and it was a big factor that led to us endorsing you . As we know, there wasn't a "blue wave" and the Senate will maintain its Republican majority. Even though that isn't ideal for passing climate legislation, you can work across the aisle and explain (or have professional scientists and economists explain) the dangers that species, our planet, and the economy will face without adequate plans. We are sure that you can work with Senate Republicans and prove that America is a nation with open-minded individuals. The political divide has reached a dangerous poi...

This is How You Can Reduce Waste at Home   By Helen O'Keeffe Zero waste homes is an environmental drive developed by French lady Bea Johnson whereby she strives to cut her household waste to that of a glass jar annually. While it might sound extreme, Ms. Johnson believes that this is inherently possible with some education and knowledge on how to change our behaviors in our home. Being environmentally aware and conscious is a hot topic in today's world and so it's something that many people are very interested in. Ms. Johnson, who now resides in the USA with her family, has travelled the world speaking on the topic, she has published blogs and books about it and continues to receive a captive audience. While achieving zero waste might seem difficult for the average household, the premise that we can all "do better" in terms of our waste output probably does have weight and even small changes can make a difference when we strive for them collectively. The infograph...

 EarthPlex Endorses Joe Biden for President Note: This post was written prior to the 2020 presidential election and remains unchanged. Election day is tomorrow, and even though there are four serious candidates, this is a two-person race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. I'm not a psychic, but I can predict that this will be a close race, so if you happen to be an undecided voter who is reading up on which candidate you should vote for, we'll make that decision a little easier for you. EarthPlex has endorsed Joe Biden before, but we don't have a post dedicated to our endorsement, though you can read our environmental analyses of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris . EarthPlex is a climate platform, so we analyze candidates strictly based on their environmental plans and records. Donald Trump has served for almost an entire term now, and climate change has worsened by a terrifying amount . Unfortunately, Donald Trump won't accept the science. ...