Sustainable San Mateo County celebrates youth ingenuity

SSMC, a nonprofit organization, has spent the past 31 years working to better understand the economy, the environment and social equity in pursuit of a healthier future. They’re aware that change necessitates bureaucratic processes and collaboration; by bolstering civic engagement, local collaboration breeds solution-oriented responses to the climate crisis. Its awards celebration acknowledging sustainability champions in San Mateo County will return to its in-person format for the first time since 2018.

Even with this hiatus, a legacy of positive transformation has bloomed from SSMC’s commitment to mentorship. Nearly all of the proposals in their Sustainability Ideas Bank were penned by passionate high school and college students through SSMC’s internship program.

“Our interns research and draft proposals for the Sustainability Ideas Bank, collect feedback, and then help us share these proven solutions with cities and businesses to implement,” Terry Nagel, the chair of SSMC’s Board of Directors, said. “Many focus on a social equity component. Some interns say their work with us has helped them decide to focus their careers on sustainability issues.”

Two notable examples are Sebastian Ludwig of Aragon High School and Cora Haggarty of Burlingame High School. Ludwig’s work researching carbon sequestration in algae and Haggarty’s analysis of equity in sea-level rise planning are opening our community to innovation that may, quite literally, save the world.

Joining Ludwig and Haggarty in the next generation of change-makers are three students with impactful projects of their own. This year, SSMC’s Awards Celebration will honor The Nueva School’s Alex Wagonfeld and Colin Chu and Aragon High School’s Ethan Hua for their commitment to sustainability.

Wagonfeld, a junior, has a wide range of projects under his belt. A speaker, researcher and leader of Nueva’s Divestment from Fossil Fuels Club, he is mobilizing students across the Bay Area to get involved in battling climate change via his website, hsClimateAction.com. Wagonfeld will receive SSMC’s Sustainability Youth Commendation at the March 30 ceremony. This year, he is a guest speaker for the San Mateo County Youth Climate Ambassadors Program.

Chu, a freshman, is the co-founder of Homeless Heroes, an organization that delivers leftover lunch meals from local schools to homeless shelters in an effort to eliminate food waste and food insecurity simultaneously. Hua takes a similar approach — he founded the Help Our Planet Earth Uniforms Program, which accepts and repurposes school uniforms to reduce waste.

Underneath these students’ impactful contributions lies a consciousness like no other; they care for their community, the environment and the present and future of the home we all share. Their efforts are prime examples of the nuance required to address climate change. It takes a combination of research, legislation and action to leave the sidelines and become a part of the solution.

Visit sustainablesanmateo.org if you are interested in learning more about Sustainable San Mateo County or attending the awards ceremony. For those unable to join in the celebration, I hope you take a moment to recognize the invaluable efforts of my fellow high school students and the organization recognizing their work.

Chesney Evert is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.