Youth Ambassador Spotlight
By Ellerbe Mendez
“It’s up to your generation.” I’ve heard these words hundreds of times from adults admitting they’ve ignored the problems of climate change for their entire lives. They’ll leave the conversation on a light note when they say they’re not worried, “The future is in good hands.”
To be completely honest, this comment is less of a compliment and more of a reason to start stressing about the fact that this is the world we will live in for our entire lives and it is dying. An obvious problem in the state of our world is that the biggest decision-makers will not be around to see the real effects of climate change, therefore they are not taking the future into account, and the people that will live in the climate change-run world are excluded from all decision-making. People like myself, until now.
I’ve spent all of my life passionate about changing the world for a better future, and I’ve been told over and over again that ‘the future is in good hands.’ But every time I’ve heard that, I’ve left the conversation wondering, ‘is it?’ I didn’t know anything about what a sustainable future required, I didn’t know the necessary steps, I couldn’t pinpoint the barriers, and I guess I thought it was impossible.
But for the first time in my life, I have been included in the efforts on making a sustainable future with Sustain SC. Now, I can pinpoint the obstacles I never knew we had to overcome. Did you think to consider the waste haulers who will be hurt by the transition from waste to recycling? Did you know states store their waste in other states when they run out of space? I’d never even thought about the potential risks such as waste haulers lobbying against sustainability recommendations and businesses not wanting to share data on their waste that is necessary for having realistic goals.
Sustain SC is working on educating our state on recycling and waste management. They work with conservation organizations to protect our state’s natural resources. They are starting the conversation, encouraging private companies in our state to work to benefit all of us.
After attending a tour at Atlantic Packaging Company, I was exposed to some actions students like me can do. Wes Carter explained some actions cities and states need to take to make steps towards being more sustainable. States can ban compostable and recyclable items from landfills. Even though, oftentimes, this is not perfectly regulated, it does encourage cities and private businesses to have more compost infrastructure and a better recycling system. How can we get involved? Write letters to your local politicians and get to know them. Join your city mayor’s youth commission so you can have discussions with your mayor about it.
Most importantly, I learned that there is a place for everyone in the push for sustainability. Sustainability involves a lot of thinking, designing, testing, political involvement, marketing, engineering, and more. Sustainability means more than you may think; sometimes sustainability is just creating the most secure packaging possible. Atlantic Packaging Company showed me the most elaborate testing methods because, as they explained, the least sustainable option is bad packaging because a damaged product is a wasted product.
I have been exposed to a group of passionate people: the people who are a part of Sustain SC, as well as the people working at Atlantic Packaging Company. These groups aren’t scared, threatened, shy, or timid. They aren’t avoiding the topic of climate change out of fear. They aren’t spreading the message of sustainability by instilling fear in their listeners. They are excited, passionate, and enthusiastic to be making a difference. They are hopeful for the future. They are excited for the technological changes coming our way. It’s because of organizations like Sustain SC that every grade school student can be filled with excitement and hope for the future.
