Samo students learn how to stay sustainable
Grace Gyepes, Staff Writer
Santa Monica has been in the process of switching to renewable energy for a while now. In 2019, Santa Monica pledged to be zero waste by 2030. These environmentally conscious changes were headed by teachers, students and community members. Teachers such as Summer Bowen and Benjamin Kay, Samo’s marine biology and AP Environmental Science teacher, have worked hard to educate the future generations about the causes and solutions to climate change.
From 2012 to present day, Sustainable Works offered Samo an annual six week course in which a multitude of topics were discussed. Including an introduction to sustainability with a specific focus on not just education of sustainability but also to educate about creating change. Throughout the course, students are given the opportunity for hands-on sustainability, from making their own non-toxic window cleaner to using low pressure shower heads. Students are also asked to take notes on the lectures and the solutions to problems discussed.
Many students in the sustainable workshop enjoy the class and see it as an interactive and easily accessible way to learn how to protect the environment. Yohannes Mihret (’23), a student in Kay’s AP Environmental Science class, is using the knowledge he learns to improve his energy use at home.
“The after school workshop that I participated in opened up new ways to live your everyday life in a more sustainable way. I learned about how some things we do on a day to day basis, such as the pressure of our showerheads, can really affect the environment. I would highly recommend it to others that want to learn more about sustainability,” Mihret said.
This year, Bowen is teaching the high school course. While working for the non-profit organization, Sustainable Works, Bowen also teaches environmental science night classes at SMC.
“Students are asked to write down solutions for things in their lives that they could do at home to make their lives more sustainable. We’ve observed that people respond best to being shown solutions. Things as small as changing your shower head may seem insignificant, but if everyone in Santa Monica were to do it, it would save over 4 million gallons of water monthly. It may take a village, but Santa Monica has shown that it is possible,” Bowen said.
Samo students after learning about energy conservation in the Green Living Workshop.