Over 100 high school students from various schools and community groups across Northern New York State came together for a powerful two-day educational experience at The Wild Center. At the Summit, students participated in over 15 workshops and plenary sessions on finding solutions to global climate change issues in the form of actionable initiatives imagined by youth. They presented work from their schools and developed climate action plans that can be used to implement climate solutions in their own community. 

Our students presented their STEAM 10 projects on acid rain in Troy, invasive species in New York State, and light pollution on our campus. The acid rain project focused on making a conclusion based on water samples that were collected on campus. The conclusion was that there is little to no acid rain in Troy, but it helped put into perspective what it may be like for communities that do experience acid rain. The “Seeing Stars” project consisted of learning about the different types of light pollution and their negative effects on animals, humans, and the environment, and then applying that knowledge to our own school’s campus. With a probe, students measured the light pollution levels at each streetlight around the school, excluding inner campus lights. They discovered that Emma was doing fairly well, and they made brochures to educate and inform readers on small everyday actions that mitigate light pollution. Students have also been tracking evidence of invasive species via eDNA in local waters and will report their findings. 

 

Carly H. ’25 and Olivia B. ’25 presented as part of the inspirational Bright Spots session on including climate change issues as part of their STEAM 10 projects and what Emma Green has been up to this year, such as the infographics on sustainability that are posted in bathrooms around campus and the Revels attire alteration event hosted in the Maker Space. They emphasized the experiential learning opportunities at Emma that allow students to conduct in-depth research on what they’re passionate about; for them, that’s climate action! Emma Green kicked off the school year with the Welcome Fair and educated the school community on how to recycle, compost, and throw items away on campus. 

 

Each of the 20 schools held a planning session for their own school. Maela N. ’26 and Levi L. ’25 presented to the whole assembly what Climate Change Plan the Emma Green working team hopes to implement on campus in order to bring more sustainability to our community. They hope to put many projects in place to lessen Emma’s carbon footprint, continue work toward an enhanced recycling system at Emma, and educate the Emma community about various sustainable topics during Morning Reports. They hope to start many other projects in the future and collaborate with the community to make a greener, more sustainable campus.