There are several ways to tackle the climate crisis—and changing simple everyday habits is the first step. Practicing sustainability is a way for anyone to get involved with environmentalism right here in Fenton. From switching to reusable water bottles all the way to vegetarianism, students are already finding their own ways to be proactive.

“I ended up trying to look into my trash and figure out what I’m throwing out a lot of,” junior Natalie Harmon said. “I try to buy things that have less packaging, or if i want to go get coffee I bring my own cup and a metal straw. I stopped buying plastic water bottles and I compost almost all of my food waste as well. My idea is if I can avoid putting it in the trash, that’s what I want to do.”

Not only can creating less waste reduce a carbon footprint, but cutting down on meat intake, going vegetarian or even vegan can do so as well. Climate Nexus states that in an average American diet, beef consumption emits 1,984 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. Replacing beef with plants would reduce that number by 96 percent per family, bringing the average down to 73 pounds of carbon dioxide.

While veganism is the most sustainable way to go, it can be difficult to do right away. Starting small and working toward larger goals over time is the most important thing  when making changes to a lifestyle.

“Start small: It’s a big transition to make,” junior Sheehan Personett said. “I just recently started [living sustainably] and I am by no means 100 percent zero waste and I am not perfect. But starting small and recognizing the world around you and trying to inform others in a kind and educational way is always the best way to do it.”

Others can take initiative by joining clubs, creating clubs and spreading the word to students, friends and faculty.

“What gave me motivation to start the Environmental Club was really just seeing everything on social media; it was just spreading like crazy and that’s what initially motivated me,” sophomore Emilia Owocki said. “I think even if we can’t do much for the school, we make people aware of the little things they can do and how that will help.”

Sustainability is a way to take initiative against the climate crisis, and it’s already making progress across Fenton. As more people make changes in their lifestyle, they become one step closer to saving planet Earth.

“I know that there are skeptics [of climate change],” Personett said. “But pollution of the planet is real. And how it’s affecting us is real. The fact of the matter is, we can’t live off fossil fuels forever. We already have all of the solutions—so why not put them into action?”