Wayne's Sierra Club World: The Young Folks are Alright!
By Wayne Tanaka | Reading time: 2 minutes
One of the best things about this work is the opportunity to meet, and learn from, the next generation of environmental advocates: the children, youth, and young adults whose dedication, energy, and sense of compassion inspire us and give us hope even in these most uncertain of times.
So in this season of gratitude I'd like to thank Ms. Ferguson’s 1st grade class at Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School, for using their voices to remind us all to be mindful of our trash, and to dispose of it properly in order to protect our wildlife and natural spaces. Meeting these students and hearing them share about their favorite outdoor activities was a highlight of my week, and an important reminder of the need to take care of the ʻāina that nurtures us in so many ways.
It has also been great to connect with members of the newly-established Honolulu Youth Commission, who have wasted no time getting to work on some of the county’s most pressing environmental issues. Members not only passed a resolution demanding the decommissioning of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, but even joined the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Peace and Justice, and the Oʻahu Water Protectors during our post-Thanksgiving signwaving to shut down the Red Hill fuel tanks!
Finally, I’d like to express my deep admiration for the amazing work of the Hawai‘i Youth Climate Coalition, whose high school and undergraduate members run sophisticated, grass-roots advocacy campaigns that have successfully passed laws shaping our response to the climate change crisis. Excitingly, the Coalition is now creating a Club Network to connect and provide resources to environmental advocacy clubs in middle schools, high schools, and colleges throughout Hawaiʻi – a strategic effort to grow and uplift the youth mobilization we need to carry us through the climate change era.
These are just some examples of how our youth are truly taking initiative to take care of our environment, and reminding all of us to do the same. It does not seem to matter much to them that the problems they are trying to solve are not of their creation, that they are essentially cleaning up others' messes. What matters, what they remind us, is that we must not hide from the threats facing our islands, and this planet, that we call home; that to fight for our environment is to fight for the future of the very people and places we know and love. And if they can do it, we can too.