As years go by, the earth goes through more and more issues. Of course there are things like political issues, global issues, and so on. However, I’m talking about the environment, the actual problems that the world is facing. These environmental issues are happening because of humans. If we start to educate more and more students, our future will be off to a great start, if not, our future will be worse than ever.

Almost every day, I see someone do something that negatively impacts the earth. Usually, I see littering. Littering can start from crushing a cigarette butt on the ground to literally tossing multiple plastic water bottles across the street. Whenever I witness these events, I think “Has this person ever felt shame or at least regret?”

The answer is simple, probably not. That person doesn’t feel guilt because they haven’t even been educated or told the basic actions which humans do that slowly destroy the earth. People don’t exactly know that what they do is dangerous, so they do it more and more continuously. It is not only littering that people do which is awful, there are a lot more issues surrounding it: pollution from vehicles and factories, completely wiping out natural habitats, animals extinction, toxic chemicals, wasting water, and the worst of all

Ignorance.

If students today are taught more about these environmental issues, it will lead to a much better future, inspiring people even today to take action. Maybe people can start spreading the word, change people’s mind, use different ways to let society know about these problems like spreading the word which can be done by social media. Something that can be very effective is education since humans as a child can be aware of the situations and help resolve them as they grow. Although, for some reason people still don’t think issues like climate change is really happening.

Not only does environmental education help change the planet, it lets students achieve important skills, qualities and appreciate their surroundings. Environmental education can help with solving real world problems, connecting with the community, working in teams, listening to diverse opinions, etc (“Benefits of Environmental”). Since kids today are indoor most of the time because of electronics, they can finally come outside and make a difference. Not only does environmental education benefit the students and the earth, it also benefits the school. Because of the fact that students are learning how to change the planet, they can take care of the school grounds which can lower bills. Taking care of the school’s grounds can include things like water, trash, electricity, etc (“Why Environmental Education”).

Taking action now can be super helpful. Since adults today weren’t exactly educated about environmental issues, doing something as soon as possible can really make a difference.

I’m not saying that it’s the adults’ fault. I’m just saying that people weren’t exactly “aware” of what was happening… back then.

Michelle Nijhuis, a journalist at the Yale Environment 360 website interviewed a biology professor named Charles Saylan from UCLA. He said, “When I was growing up, there wasn’t any formal environmental education per se- at the time, we didn’t know we were messing things up as badly as we are…. I saw those areas where I’d grown up dwindling, and increasingly being encroached upon. It made me want to do something to protect those places.” (“Green Failure”)This is indicating that some people, from experience weren’t educated about environmental issues.

Seriously, environmental education can make a huge difference in our world today. If we start soon, our planet will be off to a healthy start. It is important that environmental education is taught around the world so many countries can work together to put these issues to a stop. There are a variety of ways to let people around us be aware of these situations. These ways can include posting on social media, spreading the word, donating and so much more! New technology can be made, great leaders can take place and more people can be aware of these situations. Everybody has a voice, and you have a voice. It does not matter the age or where you are from, as everybody’s voice can be heard if we just put a little bit of effort into solving this mess.