Recalling a peer who is of determination and passion for the environment as well as her life, Jessica Cheng is the first person coming into my head. She is now a first-year student at Emory University. I knew her when she was in high school, and she has organized an environmental forum at the time. I was shocked at how much she had done as an environmental activist and a high school kid.
Taking an environmental science course during the first semester at UNC, I came to realize the importance of sustainability. And I think it will be nice to share her story about the environment with others. I am sure I am not the only one who can get inspired.
The Story Starts From…
“I noticed the huge trashcan in my school canteen, like every day to school canteen holds about 100 people’s meal and they produced about 75 to 100 liters waste every day just for lunch, like simply one meal.”
As a kid raised in Shanghai, a modern city, it is actually hard for Jessica to take a closer look at environmental issues from the root. But growing up and she has seen a lot of trash and a lot of sewage plant near the city. All these things have ignited her to think deeply about the environment and also directly sparked her interest in environmental science.
“During my high school experience as a freshman and sophomore, I wanted to get in touch with professionals,” she said. “Like the professors from local universities and institutes, but I don’t have the chance. And so does my classmates and peers.”
What Did She Do?
She then sets up a forum with a group of high schoolers, who is ambitious towards those environmental topics just like her. “We’re a group of pioneers like leading the group of high schoolers, leading those children, people, peers who are interested about the field but didn’t have the courage to do it”This is how she describes themselves.
When talking about the memory of this yearly forum, she said “Environmental NGOs in Shanghai, they had a chance to introduce themselves in recruiting high schoolers as volunteers. And that part of interactions among those participants, was really something that is a highlight of the day is still a vivid picture in my mind today.”
To be The Enlightened
Aside from the forum, she has also started a student association called “The enlightened” during her sophomore year at high school. She cooperated with students from different high schools so they have data samples from various school canteens in Shanghai. And they also have some members from Japan and the States. And they found that actually the water footprint provided by Japanese canteens is much smaller than those in China and the States.
They focus on the problem of water footprint and provide solutions by editing people’s daily diet and some behaviors.
Full Video
Jessica asked me at the end “The earth is the only planet we can live on, right?” and I think the answer is obvious. It’s time for all of us to also do something for our planet.
Special thanks to Jessica Cheng for providing pictures of her and the forum!