Sophomore Uses Environmental Activism as an Expressive Outlet

Sophomore Ada Throckmorton first fell in love with nature when she was a little girl. Her family would take annual trips to the Rocky Mountains in Estes Park, CO. That’s when Throckmorton started to notice that the snow caps were getting smaller and smaller with each visit, and huge chunks of the forests were turning red.

After doing some research, she learned that the red forests are caused by global climate changes. Because the temperature keeps rising, a type of bug called the pine beetle reproduces earlier than the birds do. Without the birds to eat them, the beetles thrive and turn tree after tree red.

Since then, Throckmorton has dedicated her time to raising awareness of the environmental issues that are prevalent today.

“It’s such a surreal state to be in nature,” Throckmorton said. “To see our plastic bottles or candy wrappers that are so obviously alien objects, it just deteriorates the whole feeling.”

Because she felt this way, Throckmorton decided to become an active member of the environmental club. She is dedicated to raising the awareness of her fellow students at SM East. She also hopes that through the club, she can improve the state of the environment.

She has attended conventions and discussions that focus on environmental problems, and has gone to see documentaries, including one titled “An Inconvenient Truth.” This film, narrated by Al Gore, discusses the deadly impacts on the environment done by climate change. The movie had a “huge impact” on Throckmorton: it opened her eyes toward the scientific basis behind climate change.

The environmental club, sponsored by science teacher Rusty DeBey, is a small, low profile club—on average, 10 students at East are members each year.

Freshman Emily Perkins Rock joined environmental club to be more involved with East. Perkins Rock admires Throckmorton, who has a huge impact on the club by running the Facebook page and planning the agenda for each meeting.

“[Throckmorton] is really great and comes every Tuesday,” Perkins Rock said. “She always has something to say and something to add to the discussions.”

Throckmorton’s passion for the environment has grown throughout the years. She gets frustrated when she sees people deliberately ignoring the climate changes.

“It’s our future,” Throckmorton said. “It’s not ethically right—degrading our futures, and our children’s futures.”

And yet, every day, she sees a cafeteria full of students who throw away their plastic bottles. The blue plastic recycling bins are two feet away, but Throckmorton has observed that they mostly go ignored.

“Yes, it’s easier to dump your whole tray at once, but what else are you going to do with those two seconds? Get to class a little faster? I don’t think that’s significant,” Throckmorton said.

The environmental club tried to raise the awareness of their fellow students through a recycling contest: in the weeks that stretched between Oct. 17-28, they handed out raffle tickets to those who recycled—not just their water bottles, but their plastic bags and biodegradable items. The student who recycled the most was presented with a bag of candy.

The environmental club was proud of this project, but Throckmorton felt that they could have done more. She feels that perhaps the students at East would care more if the environmental club could supply a visual.

For example, Throckmorton has noticed that some sporting events don’t use reusable water bottles like the football teams do. If the environmental club could somehow create a visual to represent the amount of plastic being thrown away, Throckmorton feels that they could reach out to more students.

Although Throckmorton hopes to spread her love of nature and passion for the environment, she realizes that undergoing changes, no matter how small, takes dedication.

“I just try to do my best to live eco-friendly for myself, because it’s hard to change other people’s minds and ways,” Throckmorton said, “so you just have to start with your own.”

Throckmorton’s family also tries to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. They do their laundry with cold water, and only at night to conserve as much energy as possible. They drive hybrid cars. They always turn their lights out. They don’t leave appliances like cell phone chargers and toasters plugged in all day.

“Little things add up,” Throckmorton said. “We’ll never make a difference if we don’t start small.”

Throckmorton’s found her one true passion: the preservation of the environment. She plans on making a career out of it.

“Once you’ve found that thing, you might as well stick with it,” Throckmorton said.

She likes the idea of “outreach,” which is a title she’s given to someone who spreads awareness by speaking at public events and supplying information about climate changes. She would also consider being a policy maker or working as an environmental engineer.

If everyone at East cared about their environment as much as Throckmorton and the rest of the environmental club did, Throckmorton believes that the future might look brighter because so much that goes on is “so easily preventable.”

According to planetpals.com the energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV for three hours, which is equal to half a can of gasoline. The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can light a traditional light bulb for four hours. To recycle aluminum cans takes 90 percent less energy than to make a new one. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.

There are solutions out there, and Throckmorton wishes that more people would try and apply them to their every day lives.

“Of course it takes a lot of energy to switch to a new energy source or drive a hybrid car, but that’s not necessarily reasonable,” Throckmorton said. “But if everyone recycled and used less energy and less water–those little things will help a lot.”