A select group of Town of Webb students and teachers headed to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake to participate in a two-day Adirondack Youth Climate Summit on Wednesday and Thursday, November 12 and 13.
The five students were Melissa Murphy, Daniel Stefanko, Vicky Franco, Luke Monroe and Casey Hamlin.
They were able to attend their choice of seminars throughout the day.
The teachers that accompanied them were Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Fountain.
In each of the seminars, some hands on, they discussed topics that included the impacts of global warming; the ways Earth’s human population wastes power and energy; carbon cut backs; how fossil fuels are rising; and how the temperature of the earth can impact everything, said student, Melissa Murphy.
The summit started in high gear the first day, with loads of interesting information, according to Melissa.
“We learned a lot about the waste of power and energy every day on our planet,” she said.
Melissa described the whole summit experience as incredibly gratifying.
“Personally, I decided to join the team because I was intrigued by the topics; I wanted to learn more about global warming, and what we can do to lower energy costs in our every day living. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know,” she said.
Melissa said she hopes to take her improved understanding back to her community and peers.
“I want to be able to spread the word, to make a difference,” she said.
On day one, Melissa attended three seminars.
As a team, the students assembled charts and listed changes their school and community could make, to possibly lower their carbon footprints.
“Some suggestions dealt with converting to solar and/or wind power and looking for different fuel types for transportation vehicles,” Melissa said.
Another seminar described aspects of gardening.
“We sampled natural tea and many other edible plants,” Melissa said.
The instructor showed the students how to make humus and other foods from plants and natural ingredients—medicines, too, she said.
More seminars were attended on Day Two.
In one, Native American educators familiarized the students with their culture.
“That was very interesting,” said Murphy. “They spoke in their own language and then translated for us.”
The second day concluded with everyone presenting a one-minute presentation on what they had learned during the summit.
Of particular importance were the first steps toward improving energy costs and efficiency, starting with the students’ schools.
Melissa said her team’s presentation focused on recycling.
“This needs to be more important in our school. We will be trying to make it a priority,” she said.
The team also planned to convert to energy- and cost-efficient bulbs for lighting.
Melissa said she hopes many others will be afforded the opportunity to participate in future summits.
“It really made me realize how much we are impacting the planet, and how we can change our everyday ways to make the planet more environmentally safe,” she said.
The team is planning to bring a more in-depth presentation to the Town of Webb School Board next month.
They are also planning an assembly to help inform their fellow Town of Webb students, Melissa said.