S!NERGY: Students’ Ideas to Help Mitigate Climate Change
Climate Change is a serious topic for many, especially those that are experiencing its effects directly. With this S!NERGY event, International Association of Youth and Students for Peace (IASYP) wanted to offer young people the chance to share their ideas on ways we can help our planet and address the negative effects people are causing for the environment.
For this past October 16, 2021 competition the event’s theme was “Local Climate Action Initiatives to Model and Share”. Through personal passions and interests, three students presented their ideas on methods people and society could implement to take action for our planet and its inhabitants.
Taking 1st place with $500 was Unbi Choi and Soonmee Iwasaki, two undergraduate students collaborating together from across the country with Unbi studying in Washington and Soonmee studying in Pennsylvania. They presented their “Tree Planting Project”, which is often what people think about when addressing climate change and carbon emissions, but they shared some important points that are needed for the awareness of the general public. Their proposal touched upon working with all areas from government leaders, private sectors and NGOs to focus on planting trees in areas where nature has been lost through forest fires, deforestation, and desertification globally. Sharing numbers on how much impact trees can have on absorbing carbon, they also quoted Sassan Saatchi, a senior scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, “planting trees will never be a substitute for decreasing fossil fuel emissions”, noting that reforestation is not the only solution for climate change, but many other factors need to be in play. Their presentation’s main emphasis was to create core principles and find a middle ground for opposing groups and views, such as capitalism and socialism so that instead of creating division everyone can work towards a common goal in order to protect nature. Their next steps are to model this example through their plan to collaborate with a group that has done reforestation projects in North Korea and send young representatives of the USA to help with tree planting, bringing the free world and communist world together on the united goal to rehabilitate the environment.
Placing second with $300 was Iris Wojtowicz, an undergraduate student from Chicago, Illinois. Using her passion for the environment and area of study in fashion, she presented on how changing the gender binary with fashion can help reduce production and waste pollution from the clothing industry. With her presentation titled “Undressing your Mind” she shared insightful facts about clothing production and how out of 80-150 billion garments produced a year globally more than 50% of it ends up incinerated or in landfills. Also touching upon the history of clothing and how fashion now creates concepts and restrictions on what is considered masculine and feminine for society, the final proposal presented was a social media page dubbed “Unbound” to educate the public about the impact of clothing on our planet and society. Focussing on supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #5 Gender Equality, #12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and # 13 Climate Action, the goal is to have interviews, educational videos and professionals in fashion and/or the environment share their wisdom.
Third place with $200 went to Kozan Morimoto, a high school graduate from Missouri, whose presentation “Getting Over It” debunked common misconceptions about nuclear plants and energy. He explained several aspects from creating and producing nuclear energy and what it would take cost-wise and the amount of energy it can produce compared to other current forms of power. His proposal was how nuclear reactors compared to our other energy sources are a much safer and efficient source that has the potential to provide us with energy for thousands of years while producing very little waste.
Guest Judges
Judging for the event was an exceptional panel of guest judges from various backgrounds and professions. There was Mr. Insup Park, Chairman of the Pacific Rim Integrated Development Group, and advisor for Women’s Federation for World Peace International “Giving for Good” Project; Mrs. Susan Golden, President of S. Golden Education and Chairperson for the Climate Reality Project: Greater NJ Gateway Chapter; and Dr. Dinshaw Dadachanji, Research Director for the Hyo Jeong International Foundation for the Unity of the Sciences (USA), which is dedicated to the effective, long-term resolution of environmental problems.
After each presentation the judges each asked very practical questions and gave valuable insight and comments to the young presenters about their project proposals.
After the announcement of the winning placements the online event wrapped up with some final words by IAYSP USA’s President Miilhan Stephens.
Thanks to our master of ceremonies, Norman Shafto, and our dedicated team of volunteers and staff working in the background, the event production would not have been possible.
Missed the event? Watch the recording HERE!