My name is Kayde Minervino. I am a first year student at Hamline University, and this is my story.
I was adopted from China by white, American parents when I was one. We traveled to all sorts of countries and lived in Italy for a year before settling down in Holliston, Massachusetts. Holliston is quite the upper-middle class white suburb. Everyone followed the rules, no one littered, and everyone respected the community and its environment. We were taught about war and other sorts of conflict, climate change, deforestation, etc. However, I admit after I had passed the exams on conflicts, climate change, deforestation etc. I would forget about them and move on. They didn't concern me- well that's not entirely true, I knew those things concerned my future but I didn't think as one individual I could do anything to help- and I believe most of my peers did, and thought, the same thing as well. 

It wasn't until I studied abroad in France in my junior year of high school that I discovered that conflicts, climate change, deforestation, water and air pollution etc. are pressing issues, and that I did have the power to help. In France I was taught in-depth about these issues, how they developed, and what we can do to prevent this. In French society I watched how seriously the government was taking these issues. They made it mandatory to separate your trash, compost, plastics, metals etc. They made it illegal for stores to use plastic bags, which promoted people to bring their own bags. Through education, action, and efforts from the government, the French were making great environmental changes. 

With education, action, and awareness as individuals we can make environmental changes too. In fact, by limiting the amount of beef we eat, so if the average american cuts one burger out per week (an average american eats three burgers per week), it would remove as much greenhouse gas pollution as taking your car off the road for 350 miles. Small choices, can make big changes.