By Anjali Kishore
It’s a sentiment echoed in politics on every level: the kids are the future. Across the country, young people are organizing, marching, and protesting for a multitude of causes. Youth has become an asset, signifying a clear-eyed perspective and unparalleled energy. In Greenwich, it’s evident that the new generation of young voters and teenagers is more active than ever, with countless walkouts, protests, and new student groups springing up in the last five years. This trend was evident on Saturday morning, when the fully-student-led Greenwich Environmental Advocacy Group, joined by members of local government, gathered outside Town Hall to promote the passing of a Climate Emergency Resolution (CER), and send a signal that Greenwich is serious about combating climate change. In the audience were State Representative Steve Meskers, Senator Jim Himes, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, and Selectwoman Jill Oberlander, to name a few. The elected officials on Saturday were visibly in awe of the passion exhibited by the group, with Oberlander stating, “I’m so impressed with the activism and interest that we see out of our younger generations, encouraging all of us to be better everyday.”
The rally was spearheaded by rising Greenwich High School seniors Nima Gupte and Isabelle Harper, who recognized a blind spot in the town’s generally politically active culture: in an email to the Sentinel, GEAG explained, “We formed the GEAG because we saw that, although there are many environmental organizations doing amazing things in terms of education and awareness, we weren’t seeing many environmental groups protesting or interacting with the government to create change. In addition, outside of school clubs, there was a gap in environmental groups that were led by youth.” Along with fellow GHS students and members of GEAG Sarah Tocci, Karime Perez, Sam Jaffe, Sophie Lenschow, Sophie Brachet and Hanna Klingbeil, Gupte and Harper have joined forces with 350.org, an international non-profit dedicated to reforming how we source our energy, to shed light on the issue. GEAG is officially the Greenwich chapter of the grassroots organization, which was created in 2008 and has since campaigned against the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, to stop fracking in South America, and petitioned large organizations and school to divest trillions of funds away from fossil fuels. The GEAG is formally the Greenwich chapter of 350.org.
The Climate Emergency Resolution being supported at Town Hall on Saturday is a declaration that formally acknowledges the current climate crisis as an emergency and recognizes possible steps the town will take in order to address the crisis. The CER would be a largely symbolic measure, but hopefully one of many steps towards a more sustainable future for the town. It’s especially important for Greenwich to take action for a few reasons: symbolically, “Greenwich holds a lot of power as a town that other places in CT look up to. We have amazing public education, very good public safety, beautiful streets, etc. If Greenwich were to sign a CER, it would set a good example for other towns to follow. Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Middletown and New Britain have already passed a CER, so Greenwich signing onto one will lead the state in the right direction”, according to Gupte.
In a more practical way, being right on the Sound puts us on the front lines of the issue. Rising ocean levels would impact coastal areas first, and though Greenwich faces volatile weather already as a result of being on the water, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, even minor fluctuations in climate would significantly impact local weather. These trends are particularly troubling for future generations, a big part of the reason that young people are so involved with the issue.“It’s been disheartening as a young person,” I’m only 17 and just during my lifetime, things have already gotten so much worse. I know a lot of students and young people have a lot of climate anxiety about the future. Will we be able to breathe clean air and get clean water?”
The situation seems dire, but the future is in good hands with young activists at the helm of the issue. In their remarks, Harper and Gupte emphasized intersectionality — discussing how climate change affects distribution of wealth and resources, human welfare overall, and ecosystems around the world — and the power of legislative action, making clear to the audience that this group and generation as a whole will not just be satisfied with social progress and well-meaning speeches, but would push for tangible change. Harper summed up the sentiment of the dozens of group members, saying, “We are the voices of the future, and I think politicians know that.” After Saturday’s rally, attended by dozens and applauded by local lawmakers, one thing is for sure: the voice is impossible to ignore.
The Greenwich Environmental Advocacy Group meets weekly and is open for membership to all Greenwich residents. For more information, contact greenwicheag@gmail.com.
