At age three, I saw the world through my parents’ hard work in fire rescue and real estate, and I was inspired to work in emergency services like my dad. But at age 14, Instagram introduced me to online activism and the climate movement, and I marveled at how people as hardworking as my parents were changing the world by making awareness videos, sharing sustainable swaps, and advancing climate technology. When the Southold Town Conservation Advisory Council invited environmentally-conscious students to become junior members, I jumped at the opportunity. I was eager to attend meetings and to see how the council helped town trustees decide whether or not to support building projects proposed near or on local bodies of water. At my second meeting, one council member recommended moving a proposed garage a few feet closer to the owner’s house to avoid a tree and the neighbor’s property line. I felt this was a reasonable, logical request; if a garage was going to compromise the safety of someone’s home and surrounding wildlife, it could not be constructed. Surely, I thought, the council would recommend significant changes to the plan based on the town’s environmental regulations. I soon learned, that the council only advises the trustees, and that the safety of one's home and a tree somehow wasn’t under the council’s jurisdiction, so the committee couldn’t make the relocation recommendation. But, I wondered, if another committee such as the zoning board was going to require a change later on in the building permit application process, why not change it now? I was shocked and upset that the council had so little power. How can we sit around and wait for different groups to approve things on different timelines when they can all just work together? Why does the difference between a bluff and a cliff drastically change the building permit regulations when they’re essentially the same thing? If each group’s goal is to protect the environment during property improvements, wouldn’t it be more effective to streamline the process? I want to live in my three-year-old world – the world where everyone improves their environment, rather than drowns in the minutiae of their responsibilities and loses sight of why they set out to make change. Furthermore, I’m tired of complacency, of people saying “that’s just the way it is,” when we need real change to happen. And my work has already begun. Last year, as President of the Environmental Club, I hosted a sneaker drive through Sneaker Impact, an organization I discovered online. The drive was successful; the box was overflowing when we sent it back, and the shoes were transformed into new sneakers for those in poverty to wear, giving them a new purpose. I also discovered Nurdle Patrol, a study at Texas A&M University, and ordered a microplastic water testing kit from them, which will allow our club to test local waters for nurdles, a type of microplastic that spilled off of the coast of Texas in 2018, and contribute to their national database on our outing next week. I am so excited to submit the results! From the wildfires burning across Canada and Hawaii, flooding in New York City, and drastically changing temperatures, we don’t have time to waste. I have a knack for bringing people together to work towards a common goal, and, unlike my local town councils, keeping that goal in perspective. I am ready to sharpen these skills and pursue a career that will amplify my impact globally. Nothing is going to change if we don’t try. But I'm going beyond trying; I’m going to succeed.

At age three, I saw the world through my parents’ hard work in fire rescue and real estate, and I was inspired to work in emergency services like my dad. But when I was 14, Instagram introduced me to online activism and the climate movement, and I marveled at how people as hardworking as my parents were changing the world by making awareness videos, sharing sustainable swaps, and advancing climate technology. This idea was completely new to me; my grandparents and parents have learned to live in a disposable world, and their generations created a world where we use things and immediately discard them. I was beginning to see the effects of this mindset and wanted to help create positive change to combat these effects. When the Southold Town Conservation Advisory Council invited environmentally-conscious students to become junior members, I jumped at the opportunity. I was eager to attend meetings and to see how the council helped town trustees decide whether or not to support building projects proposed near or on local bodies of water, and if these issues specifically would help cut down on excess waste in those systems. At my second meeting, one council member recommended moving a proposed garage a few feet closer to the owner’s house to avoid a tree and the neighbor’s property line. I felt this was a reasonable, logical request; if a garage was going to compromise the safety of someone’s home and surrounding wildlife, it could not be constructed. Surely, I thought, the council would recommend significant changes to the plan based on the town’s environmental regulations. I soon learned, however, that the council only advises the trustees, and that the safety of a person’s home and a tree somehow wasn’t under the council’s jurisdiction, so the committee couldn’t (and wouldn’t) make the relocation recommendation. But, I wondered, if another committee such as the zoning board was going to require a change later on in the building permit application process, why not change it now? I was shocked and upset that the council had so little power. How can we sit around and wait for different groups to approve things on different timelines when they can all just work together? Why does the difference between a bluff and a cliff drastically change the building permit regulations when they’re essentially the same thing? If each group’s goal is to protect the environment during property improvements, wouldn’t it be more effective to streamline the process? I want to live in my three-year-old world – the world where everyone improves their environment, rather than drowns in the minutiae of their responsibilities and loses sight of why they set out to make change. Furthermore, I’m tired of complacency, of people saying “that’s just the way it is,” when we need real change to happen. And my work has already begun. Last year, as President of the Environmental Club, I hosted a sneaker drive through Sneaker Impact, an organization I discovered online. Though they usually have permanent donation boxes at running clubs, I reached out to inquire about hosting a drive at my school, and they quickly responded by sending us a box! The drive was successful; the box was overflowing when we sent it back, and the shoes were transformed into new sneakers for those in poverty to wear, giving them a new purpose. I also discovered Nurdle Patrol, a study at Texas A&M University, and ordered a microplastic water testing kit from them, which will allow our club to test local waters for nurdles, a type of microplastic that spilled off of the coast of Texas in 2018, and contribute to their national database. Our outing to test the waters is planned for this November, and I am so excited to submit the results. All of these actions were centered around waste, whether it was by reducing it or studying what it does to the surrounding environment. From the wildfires burning across Canada and Hawaii, flooding in New York City, and drastically changing temperatures, we don’t have time to waste. I have a knack for bringing people together to work towards a common goal, and, unlike my local town councils, keeping that goal in perspective. I am ready to sharpen these skills and pursue a career that will amplify my impact globally. Nothing is going to change if we don’t try. But I am going to go beyond trying; I’m going to succeed.

Last year, as President of my school Environmental Club, I hosted a sneaker drive through Sneaker Impact, an organization I discovered online. Though they usually have donation boxes at running clubs, I reached out to inquire about hosting a drive at my school, and they sent us a box! The drive was successful; the box was overflowing when we sent it back, and the shoes were transformed into new sneakers for those in poverty to wear, giving them a new purpose. I also discovered Nurdle Patrol, a Texas A&M University study, and ordered a microplastic water testing kit from them, which will allow our club to test local waters for microplastics that spilled off the Texas coast in 2018 and contribute to their database. Our testing outing is planned for this November! As for the words on the top of the mountain, I would leave a flag that says “Leave No Trace.” Although the act of leaving the flag phrase is a bit hypocritical, I think it would ultimately be beneficial. I see trash every time I go hiking, whether it’s here on Long Island or the mountains of the Adirondacks. I don’t think people do it to be malicious, but we all need a reminder now and then, and the top of a mountain is the best place to take in a breathtaking view and remember to preserve that view, one piece of trash at time, with one fewer disturbance to our treasured, delicate, beautiful planet.