"An Inconvenient Truth About Youth" and "Youth's" Reply

In an article in the Washington Post, Laura Wray, a graduate student, and Constance Flanagan, a professor, at Penn State University argue that todays youth are far less concerned with the environment than their predecessors in the 70's and 80's. The authors attribute the decline in environmental activism among youth to the rise in consumer culture.

In response to the article, Eliza Simon, a National Campus Climate Challenge Organizer, wrote:

Young and Green

Wednesday, September 20, 2006; A24

In "An Inconvenient Truth About Youth" [op-ed, Sept. 11], Laura Wray and Constance Flanagan contend that the apathy of young people toward conservation will be changed only through government action. Considering the Bush administration's environmental record, we're in a world of trouble if they're correct. Good thing they're wrong.

Far from shirking their responsibility to our planet, young people are leading the way in the fight to stop global warming -- and to open their elders' eyes to the crisis.

Two examples: Students at Western Washington University taxed themselves an extra $19 in student fees to fund the purchase of renewable energy, and students at Pennsylvania State University -- where Ms. Flanagan teaches and Ms. Wray studies -- gathered more than 4,700 letters asking the administration to embrace the Kyoto Protocol. They have also secured green building standards, a campus wind turbine and a plan to have 22 percent of the school's power come from renewables by 2012.

That is only the tip of the (melting) iceberg. Youth is leading; government should follow.

ELIZA SIMON

National Campus Climate Challenge

Organizer

Sierra Student Coalition

Washington

I believe the University of Pittsburgh students will ultimately prove to be as environmentally concerned as students at Western Washington University.