From bright-eyed hippies to pensive engineers, the other environmental activists I’ve met are a pretty diverse group. Some grow all their own food and produce such little waste that they don’t have a trashcan, and others take a different approach, spending their lifetime lobbying. My journey as an activist has been as varied as the people I’ve met, and in advocating for a change I’ve learned that making a difference isn’t just about huge, lofty goals - it’s as simple as getting your community members to change their recycling habits. The best way I’ve helped my own community is by advocating for small changes and helping these changes spread. Of the changes I’m most proud of, one is how I’ve helped my friends and family learn how to compost. It’s a pretty intensive process, so not all of them have stuck with it, but I know the ones who have are saving hundreds of pounds of foodwaste every year. I’m also pretty proud of the app I created to help with learning how to compost and other parts of easing into a more eco-friendly lifestyle(Natra). We’ve helped users save more than 100,000 gallons of water, more than a metric ton of CO2 emissions, and more, and I hope that the active users of the app in my community are having an easier time living more sustainably because of it! Another important change I’ve made in my community is helping form the connection between the school administration and our local environmental society. While working as a student engagement leader for the Naperville Environmental Sustainability Taskforce(NEST), I’ve helped pitch new sustainability goals and policies to school board members and administration while giving them feedback on existing policies. I’ve even had the opportunity to talk to Congresswoman Underwood about Illinois climate policy and environmental awareness! This connection between schools and environmental groups in our community has brought us closer to reaching our existing sustainability and clean energy goals, and I’ve even gotten to see some of the goals we talked about getting implemented in my school district (like a new electric bus program being piloted this year)! All in all, the changes I’ve made in my community aren’t huge revelations, but they’re small enough to be easy and viable, and by advocating for a slow and steady path into sustainability, I’ve made my community a more eco-friendly place. Thank you for this opportunity!