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A group of Pleasanton high school students have been changing the narrative when it comes to climate action as they attempt to remove educational barriers and break down the complexity of climate change for younger generations through the work of their nonprofit, The Sustainability Lens.
“I think sustainability should be a priority today,” Pareena Gupta, founder and executive director of the nonprofit, told the Weekly. “I think it is important for young people to get involved because they’re the leaders of tomorrow so if they start engaging and taking initiative (today), they can develop the framework and the foundation needed to take this priority further.”
Gupta, a sophomore at Amador Valley High School, said she has always been passionate about environmental science and sustainability and that she wanted to engage in climate action.
Climate change is described as “altering temperature, precipitation, sea levels, and will adversely impact human and natural systems, including water resources, human settlements and health, ecosystems, and biodiversity,” according to the Climate Change: Science and Impacts Factsheet from the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems website.
One of the observed impacts included in the factsheet is that 2023 was the “warmest year since global records began in 1850”.
As Gupta began researching more about natural and human-driven factors that influence the Earth’s climate system and solutions to tackle climate change, she said she quickly found out that there were significant barriers to this information.
“I found that media reports, policy documents and news articles were often filled with complex terms and jargon,” she said.
That’s why she founded The Sustainability Lens back in January.
The nonprofit is a 501(c)(3) organization that hosts interviews with knowledgeable experts in the climate change and sustainability world; tables at local events such as the Earth Day celebration on April 19 in the Pleasanton Library; and uses its online platform to educate folks of all ages about the different ways they can help take care of the planet.
Some of the people the group has interviewed so far include the former public affairs specialist and climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a former NASA intern.
Gupta said the overall goal is promoting climate action, especially because it isn’t much of a priority in school, for younger people like herself.
Gupta and her team members also said it is important for young people to use social media and technology to spread awareness.
“Our generation is way more interconnected due to social media so we have a lot more power if we have something to say,” Anasuya Ghosh, a sophomore at Amador Valley and the director of partnerships and grants at the nonprofit, told the Weekly. “Climate change is such a global issue, it’s not up to one person or one country to solve. Everyone has to work together.”
Though the group said juggling school and the organization was difficult in the beginning, they are now doing everything they can to address issues like desensitization of climate change in younger generations.
“It’s really important not just for everyone to care about sustainability, but for (Generation) Z to care about sustainability,” Vyan Kumar, another Amador Valley sophomore and director of community outreach for the nonprofit, told the Weekly. “A lot of people in Gen Z are quickly going to be leaving school and as … the new generation comes in, it’s important that we get the message across.”
