- When you reach 18, register to vote.
- Vote, vote, vote! And remember, you can advocate for policies NOW without being of voting age. We need you!
- Eat less meat or adopt a plant-based diet.
- After fossil fuels, land use for cattle and meat agriculture is the second largest contributor to climate change. Ask Shrewsbury Schools to identify their vegetarian or vegan options. Additional Reading: Moving to a plant-based diet can mitigate climate change, research suggests
- Did you know Shrewsbury has a Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP)?
- You can see it on the Town of Shrewsbury website.
- Shrewsbury also has a Sustainability Committee.
- Did you know every year one SHS senior is chosen to be on the committee? Look into it!
- You want a car?
- The cost of used EVs is much lower than new ones. Local credit unions offer loans.
- SELCO also offers EV loans and rebates.
- You have much more effect on your parents than you think.
- Tell them the you are concerned about climate change. Ask them what they are doing about it. If you live in a house, encourage your parents to get a free energy audit through SELCO or Mass Save. Tell them individual buildings, like single-family homes, are the biggest source of greenhouse gases in Shrewsbury. And let them know gas stoves cause high rights of asthma in children. Encourage your parents to decarbonize your home by electrifying. Additional reading: SELCO Net Zero – Heating and Cooling, MASS Save, Heat Pumps are the Healthy Choice (PDF)
- Talk with your parents about the negative effects of hot classroom learning.
- SHS is being considered for a new addition. Explain the value of protecting children and teenagers from extreme heat by investing in more efficient schools, as well as in electric heat pumps to heat and cool classrooms. Learn more about hot classrooms and learning loss: Rethinking heat in thousands of school classrooms through continuous monitoring and novel exposure metrics
- Yes, You’re right. Thanks to climate change, allergies are getting worse.
- Longer, warmer growing seasons with higher levels of CO2 which spur more plant growth equal higher pollen counts with more mold. Allergies, Asthma. Heat Pumps are the key to reducing the use of fossil fuels for home heating. They reduce outdoor pollution significantly. Indoor air quality is also greatly improved by heat pumps, which cool, heat, dehumidify, and filter air. Imagine your home and school providing you with clean air. What a thought! Additional reading: Clean Heat, Clean Air: Health Benifits of Modern Industrial Technologies (PDF)
- The fight against climate change cannot be won without preserving nature.
- From biodiversity to carbon sequestration, air and water quality, and our own food, we must always factor nature into human health.
- Mental and physical health really matter.
- If you feel better outdoors in nature, check out places in Shrewsbury where you’ve never been. Beaver ponds, vernal pools, stunning woods. Try Rawson Hill, Lake St Park, and Camp Wunnegan. Grab a friend and go! Check out the Shrewsbury Trail Maps for more information.
- By the way, do you need ways to fulfill volunteer requirements?
- The Shrewsbury Trails Committee often needs volunteers to help clear trails. It’s fun!
- Go ahead, tell people that one of the biggest reasons for the rise in vector-borne diseases in Massachusetts—like Lyme Disease—is climate change.
- Warmer air, wetter air, increases the range of ticks and mosquitoes. Go outside in nature. It’s good for you. But when you go into the woods or a meadow, just make sure that your clothes protect you form tick exposure. Do a tick check afterwards. Additional reading: Ticks and Lyme Disease: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
Thank you for taking the time to visit!