Important to learn about the environment at a young age
Published in the April 15-28, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Lexi Julien
Every spring, Mount Madonna School puts on the Summit for the Planet, a walkathon and environmental festival held up at the mountain-top campus located west of Morgan Hill off Hecker Pass Highway. This year’s event will be held April 25 with participants spending time walking in the redwoods, listening to music, and participating in environmentally conscious activities.
Mount Madonna School senior Lexi Julien encourages people — and especially families — to come for the experience in order to appreciate and protect the world we live in. Her life goal is to work for Doctors Without Borders as an emergency surgeon, while also writing novels on the side. Morgan Hill Life asked Julien why environmental awareness through Summit for the Planet is a special interest for her.
Why is it important for young people to get engaged in environmental educational activities?
Young people need to know what is happening to the environment around them. They need to know that the world they are growing up in is facing issues that come with extreme consequences, such as global warming and the drought in California. When kids become aware of environmental issues, they will take steps to protect their world. These next generations are the ones who are going to need to make change, and the more knowledgeable kids are about environmental issues, the quicker change will come.
Why are you personally interested in protecting the environment and the natural world?
Photo courtesy Mount Madonna School
Children celebrate last year’s Summit for the Planet at Mount Madonna School.
I have been extremely lucky growing up, as my house is about 300 feet from the beach. As a kid, I spent my time in the ocean and in the redwoods, surfing and hiking and just being outside. My interest is almost a selfish interest — I don’t want to give up the beauty of the natural world that surrounds me. I want this world to be just as beautiful for my kids as it has been for me, and the only way that can happen is if we take steps to protect the environment.
Why is environmental protection important as an issue that impacts humanity?
Despite the fact that we seem to rely more on technology than anything else these days, we cannot forget what we rely on the most for our survival: the environment. Natural resources are our life source. We must take care of our waterways to keep our water clean to drink. We must make efforts to protect the ocean from pollution if we want to keep the fish that live there safe for us to eat. By harming nature, we are only harming ourselves.
What do you gain from your Mount Madonna teachers in encouraging you to be an ecologically-aware citizen?
What I have loved the most about Mount Madonna is our location in the forest. Our teachers take advantage of our proximity to nature, and throughout my four years here I have spent countless days in the redwoods. By bringing learning outside the classroom and incorporating nature into classes, my teachers have helped to cultivate my love for the natural world. This appreciation, in turn, makes me care about the environment, and heightens my awareness surrounding environmental issues.
