Aislinn Chavali | Staff Writer

In this day and age, climate change has become a big—and controversial—subject, as people debate about proper solutions and what actions to take, or whether there’s even something the people can do about it. But some students have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness of climate change and come up with some measures that the community can undertake.
Christian Omoruyi, a junior and founding member of Greener Greenwood, says that the group’s official mission statement focuses on the importance of preserving the environment.
“We’re youth working to make Greenwood, Indiana a greener city that continues to foster entrepreneurship while prioritizing sustainability,” Omoruyi said.
Greener Greenwood has also made connections with a larger environmentalist group in Indiana called Earth Charter through its president Jim Poyser, who has helped the members come up with a plan and get started.
Another member, senior Sam Bauer, is focused on the group’s long-term goals.
“The end goal for right now is to draft a climate resolution that we can present to the city council in hopes of getting it passed,” said Bauer. “We are trying to create a balance that would make the resolution both environmentally and economically-friendly, so it could realistically be implemented.”
A majority of the group, which was only started late last semester, is comprised of seniors, like Sam Bauer ‘18 and Phoebe Nguyen ‘18, who would at least like to see the resolution pass before they graduate and leave Greener Greenwood in the hands of the underclassmen.
“I joined this group because I want to live in a safe and healthy environment,” Nguyen said. “I have a moral duty to advocate for what I believe is a right to have a clean Earth.”
In all, even if the resolution doesn’t end up passing with the city council, Greener Greenwood will still feel like it has accomplished its goal.
“While it would be nice to have the resolution passed by the council, there will still be people out there who are aware of it and support it,” Bauer said. “These people might want to take up some of our points and spread the word. And that’s still an amazing accomplishment.”
Even if the resolution isn’t officially implemented, Greener Greenwood has made it easily accessible for every family or household to undertake these steps. Raising awareness for climate change is just as important as the resolution itself. With a promising start to the organization, the seniors are more than satisfied with what they have accomplished and are excited to see where it leads. Greener Greenwood has served as the stepping stone for advocating that Greenwood becomes a happier, healthier place.