By Irene Feher

Contributing Writer:

Freshman Erich Haines learned to recycle more, use less energy and go green because of the field trip he attending concerning the environment.

“I felt the presentation was very inspiring and it affected me very much,” Haines said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to change my future. I want to change our ways so things don’t get bad.”

On March 13, a majority of the freshman class went to the Long Beach Convention Center for a field trip called “A World We Can Change.” It was a high school conference and expo arranged by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to discuss the fight against air pollution. Their goal is to create cleaner and healthier air.

“(Southern California) has the worst air pollution in the country and we need to clean it up,” Governor’s Appointee Joseph K. Lyou said.

The freshmen entered the arena filled with large screens that broadcast quick facts about air pollution.

The event started off with a video about the history and consequences of air pollution. Dr. William A. Burke, chairman of the SCAQMD, was featured in the video and told the students his story about suffering with asthma for 50 years because of the pollution in the air. Burke stated that air pollution can cause health issues such as breathing problems, asthma, allergies and brain tumors.

He also said that many changes in our lifestyle, such as the use of bottled water, has contributed to the cause of air pollution.

Afterward, the students headed to the Terrace Theater to watch another video about the air and climate change. According to the video, every teenager in the U.S. uses about 21 football fields of resources throughout their lives. But we’re not the only country living this large. France, China and India are among the many nations in the world with a destructive amount of waste.

“We’re the first generation to realize that living large is a big responsibility,” the speaker in the video said. “Scientists say that a warmer world is a riskier world.”

They also state that if this rapid temperature increase continues, 20% to 50% of animal species will become extinct. Carbon dioxide stays in the air for years and we’re creating more carbon dioxide.

“We can come together, clean up Southern California and make it the beautiful place it was meant to be,” said Green Youth Movement President Chloe Mills.