Environmental Action at Brentwood

17 July 2023Lauren C, Mack ‘24

Editor’s Note: This year we had a bumper crop of excellent candidates who volunteered to serve the school as BEAT Captain. Below is the text of one speech which, I think, represents the environmental expertise, vision and enthusiasm of our four excellent candidates.

I wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone who has played any role in either BEAT (Brentwood Environmental Action Team) or EA (Environmental Advocacy) this year.

At my previous school, I remember the first and only time I had a direct conversation about the climate crisis. It was basically just telling us that it’s our job to fix it.

Before this year, I experienced a lot of climate anxiety in my life not knowing what it actually was. Coming to Brentwood, I had no idea what to expect. Seeing that there were people here who actively cared about the environment gave me a lot of hope.

One of the reasons I am so proud to be at Brentwood is because of people like all of you and clubs like this.

If I am given the opportunity to represent BEAT or EA, I promise that I will always be incredibly passionate about the work that we do and thankful to everyone who’s putting work in.

After running the Climate Anxiety workshop at the Wellness Day at the beginning of the year, I became really interested in behavioral patterns. I did a lot of research, and there’s a lot of information out there, but the bottom line is that it’s really hard. I saw that with the McNeill’s project. It takes time and internal motivation to change. That is why it is so important to find ways of communicating with people in the right ways.

One big reaction to the climate crisis that I have both seen and had experience with is climate anxiety. It can often hold people back from wanting to get involved because it can be overwhelming. Sometimes people just shut it down because they think that they can’t get involved or care about sustainability because they’ve littered before or use plastic cups. None of us are perfect. I believe that BEAT and EA are focused on progress, not expecting perfection.

Another goal I am wanting to work on is focusing on talking with people, not at them, as I think this will be a big help in inspiring others.

A lot of people still associate activists in all areas as argumentative people and they find it boring to listen to the bad news. That is actually an emotional response. They don’t want to hear the bad news, so working to come up with ways of consistently educating, spreading awareness, and proposing solutions to environmental issues in a way that people won’t shut out is one of my major goals.

Opening doors for learning opportunities about the Climate Crisis in order to stay educated about current events will be another goal of mine.

As a day student, I sometimes forget how all-consuming the Brentwood Bubble can be for some people. Sometimes our beloved Brentwood can be like blinders on a horse. Because of that, keeping the student body up to date with current events when it comes to sustainability will keep students engaged. Having reminders that the Climate Crisis is happening and that progress is being made will make finding inner motivation a lot easier.

A major goal of mine is to branch out and market to new students and make the students and staff more aware about what we do. We must inspire others to act by showing that there is progress being made here. And even if it doesn’t inspire them to act themselves, showing them good news instead of bad will be a really nice break.

I have had such a wonderful time being involved this year and I appreciate all of the work that goes into making this happen. If I am given a leadership role, I promise that I will show up with a positive attitude, a passion for sustainability and dedication to the projects and people every day. Let’s make it a great year!

Lauren C, Mack ‘24