I am Sam Leggett, a 15 year old freshman attending Woodstock Union Middle High School. I enjoy music, theater, soccer, school, and spending time with others. I have two siblings of which I’m the youngest, and moved to Vermont last year from Gilford, New Hampshire.

I believe children of my generation are the ones who should be most concerned about the current climate crisis, and that we aren’t doing nearly enough to contribute. Our innovative and young minds can produce complex ideas and strategies to resolve this crisis. However, those of us who actually care go unrecognized and the power to decide our Earth’s fate is put into the hands of those who won’t be alive to see it.

I also believe that as a population, especially in our own country, we don’t take the topic as seriously as we should. While we could be spending our money and precious time on possible solutions for climate change, such as cleaning the oceans, installing alternative energy sources, and supplying people with electric vehicles, we instead use iit for war, military and weapons to cause more hate and violence in our world.

My goal as a young climate activist is to spread awareness of the topic, how serious it is, and to try and do it in a hopeful way. Even though we should be scared of the world’s rising temperature and waste production, I intend to provide a more positive and hopeful approach to the topic, as I truly think we will get further from being motivated by hope, instead of fear.

As said in The Hunger Games, the only thing stronger than fear, is hope.