As the Executive Director of the Green Technology Education centre I am delighted to introduce the Student Voices series of blogs. This series provides an opportunity for high school students to publish their thoughts and feelings about the climate crisis and reach out to a larger audience with their thoughts and concerns.
In its 2021/2022 Strategic Plan GTEC made an explicit commitment to be of service to youth in responding to the climate crisis. Young people know that they will face many of the impacts of the global warming in their lifetimes and many carry the burden of that awareness. For example, and close to home, a recent BC study published in the Journal of Climate Change and Health traced the way in which the heat dome in BC intensified the apprehension young people feel about the climate crisis.
GTEC featured the Environmental Youth Alliance in its Neighbourhood Environmental Education Project and addressed youth issues in its ground breaking Re-building BC report. More recently, GTEC’s GenZ Goes Electric project educated young people about the electrification of transportation with the goal of making it more likely the next generation will become EV owners and drivers. The electrification of transportation in BC may play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions. More generally, GTEC believes that information about solutions that mitigate or assist with adapting to the climate crisis are helpful. GenZ Goes Electric was delivered by an application GTEC developed in conjunction with Lunge.ai and took place in partnership with two BC high schools, Hugh Boyd Secondary in Richmond and Kalamalka Secondary in Vernon.