World Wisdom: Student Outlook on the Environment

 

With Earth Day right around the corner on 4/22, Brainly, the leading homework help platform, conducted a survey of middle and high students about their outlook, habits, and concerns regarding the current and future state of the environment. 

 

82.2% of respondents are concerned about the state of the planet they will inherit, while 37.6% of students stated that their school places ‘very little to no’ importance on environmental awareness on their campuses. 

 

With respondents’ ages ranging from middle school to college, the survey revealed some other interesting findings.

 

>> What’s to come? 

60.9% of students said they are predicting that within 20 years, Earth’s environment will be worse than it is now, and 22.3% of students said that they think Earth’s environment will see little to no change.
 

>> It’s Up to Us. 

Over 60.3% of students said they believe that the government should be held accountable for ensuring a healthy environment, while 54.9% said companies should be held accountable and 52.3% states it is up to individual citizens.
 

>> Environmental News You Can Use. 

32% of students said they got their news about the environment from social media, 21% received their news from digital news sites, 18.8% from the TV, and 13% from their school or teachers.
 

>> One Step at a Time. 

41.7% of respondents stated they recycle ‘everytime they could’ while 19.6% of students ‘rarely or never’ recycle, the remaining respondents ‘tried their best to recycle, but it was based on convenience’.
 

>> Making Every Day Earth Day. 

Over 42.8% of students said they’ll celebrate Earth Day this year, while another 37% said they don’t plan to do anything special to commemorate the special day.

“Young students can, and do, make a big difference. As parents and teachers, we have the opportunity to spark a passion in our kids that will drive them to do their part to take care of the Earth they inherit,” says Patrick Quinn, a parenting expert at Brainly, former educator, and father of three school-age children.

 

Here are some fun, helpful ways for families to celebrate Earth Day:  

1. Get outside. Picking up trash in your neighborhood, going on a nature walk, or having an outdoor scavenger hunt are all great ways to enjoy some fresh air and celebrate Earth Day.
2. Volunteer. Volunteer for cleanups in your community. You can get involved in protecting your watershed, too.
3. Get your hands dirty. Start a family garden or join a community garden and talk about where food actually comes from. Be sure to select plants appropriate to your climate, which you can find at a local farmer’s market or plant shop.
4. Plant a tree. For an activity that will stay with you for a lifetime, choose a tree together as a family and plant it in your yard. You can take pictures with it every Earth Day and watch it grow over the years. You can also educate your kids about how trees help combat global warming and deforestation.