By Anderson Prater
Have you ever heard of the HFHS CCA? Don't feel bad if you haven't, The Hinckley-Finlayson Committee for Climate Action started a mere two weeks ago. But during those two weeks, CCA has been busy. The HFHS CCA came together with the help of a local activist, Brenna Doheny. She began by informing senior Johnny Kordiak about the 100% renewable energy by 2050 proposal and the Solar on Schools bill. He decided that he would not only like to support these ideas but also include his classmates on this opportunity to positively impact the environment. Johnny gathered up students who believe that action can and should be taken to protect and preserve our climate. Within the week, the HFHS CCA was born. Don't let the short time they have been in existence fool you, since the HFHS CCA came together they have been hard at work. The CCA drafted a petition in support of the "Solar on Schools" bill and collected over two hundred signatures. Six members of the CCA also attended Clean Energy and Climate Action Day in Saint Paul on Wednesday. At Clean Energy and Climate Action Day, the students were taught how to lobby politicians, listened to climate activists tell their own stories, and heard from speakers supporting climate action. CCA Member Avery Degerstrom explained how one of the presentations really made her think about her own impact on the climate saying, "They asked us to think about our dream for the world fifty years from now, when I did that I realized my dreams won't come true unless we make a change. The change has to be an individual change, that involves thinking about your own impact like walking instead of driving and using less plastic. Just little things like that. But at the same time, it needs to be a big change. The type of change where we all as a country transition to cleaner energy and create less waste and make new policies that enforce that." The CCA members even had the opportunity to speak with students from Spain and Austria about how their countries are dealing with climate issues. While they were in Saint Paul they met with senator Jason Rarick. They practiced their newly learned lobbying skills by speaking with him about their support for the Solar on Schools bill. The HFHS CCA has big plans for our own school as well. They will continue to bring the petition around to gather more support for Solar on Schools. Once the special election takes place, the CCA plans on sending members back to Saint Paul lobby our new representative and bring them the petition. Members John Kordiak and Anders Prater are hoping to set an energy audit for the school and provide more recycling bins throughout the building. The CCA is open to accepting new members and ideas. Anyone who is interested or passionate about the climate can talk to Johnny Kordiak or Brooke Anderson for information on how to get involved.
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