OPINION — From a young age, I have been inspired to help save our planet, the beautiful nature I am surrounded by, and the precious animals that I sincerely love. I have always loved being outdoors in nature, whether it is hiking, camping, biking, walking my dog, exploring or just sitting on the grass at a local park watching the clouds go by above. I have always felt a deep connection with nature and animals. I also feel particularly close to my God whenever I am surrounded by nature, his miraculous creation.
Yet this creation that I and so many others love is threatened, even right here in St. George. One huge action that we as individuals and as a community can take to help our planet during this time of climate crisis is to strongly consider voting for candidates in the next election in November 2020 that take acting on climate change seriously.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, I have been inspired to act upon climate change by the activism of the people around me to create lasting change. When I first moved to St. George, the difference in culture regarding climate activism surprised me. I quickly became invested in wanting to act and spread the word about climate activism.
I love St. George and its beautiful landmarks and scenery, which is why I am so passionate about preserving them for generations to come. While living in St. George, I have learned many new things about myself from the culture, the many amazing people I have encountered, and from my supportive community at my local church and Bible study.
Acting on climate change in my community feels like a way for me to give something back to this beautiful place I now call my home. Finding out how to recycle in the area where you live is a great start to helping our planet. Also, making the conscious decision to use reusable bags when you shop is another great step. Two other bigger steps you could consider are putting solar panels on your house and driving electric cars, which is another way to help protect our home and land here in St. George. All of these steps can greatly help the crisis that our world is facing right now.
I encourage you to spread the word to everyone that you know, your family, friends, members at your church, coworkers, et cetera, to consider our world, our planet, nature, the wonderful animals and all of creation when voting for candidates in the upcoming election. This will help spread the word and change the minds of so many people and it can help to protect our land that we as humans call our home.
It saddens me to see how many people in our world do not fully understand that all of the beautiful nature we are surrounded by is in danger of being lost due to the very sad fact that climate change exists and is happening now. My family, especially my mother, established in me an admiration and love for creation that has made it impossible for me to not act upon this climate crisis while the earth and the people who live on it are suffering.
It is one of the reasons I joined Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, a group dedicated to turning our faith into action for the sake of God’s creation and our neighbor’s good. I became so excited and passionate about being a part of an organization where I can learn many ways to help promote climate activism. This seems like the perfect opportunity to help to make a change in my local community in St. George and at my university.
We need to start by exercising our fundamental right as citizens to choose leaders who will set us on the right pathway toward true sustainability and a healthier climate. We need leaders who understand that our world is facing a climate crisis and who will lead us in the direction that we and our planet must go. We need to vote for climate candidates. Please keep in mind these very important facts and encourage everyone you know to vote for candidates that take acting on climate change seriously. Thank you for reading and considering my ideas.
Submitted by STEPHANIE MEEKS, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action.
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