As Newsome High School students grow in age and knowledge, they also grow in media literacy. More and more students and young people are becoming aware of how global warming is affecting not just the farthest most polls, but the world around us everyday. 

  In Lithia, roads, houses, and towns are surrounded by thick Florida forests and vegetation. Similar to the climate in southern countries, with environments heavily dependent on rainforests for food, shelter and breathable air. For example, the Amazon Rainforest produces an estimated 9 percent of the world’s oxygen and is a vital home for many of the world’s most endangered species. Overall 14.5 million square kilometers, or 34 percent of the entire world’s rainforests have been completely destroyed due to deforestation.

  While the world’s deforestation and pollution problems may be irreversible, it is not too late to slow the damage. There are many ways that any student can help to combat deforestation without making major changes to their lifestyle. The first and most important way is to stay informed. By using credible and peer reviewed new sources to gather information students can stay up to date on what is going on in the world around them. More so, by being aware of major companies that contribute or encourage deforestation, students can shop sustainably and consume products that don’t contribute to global issues. For example, some students may not know that the world’s biggest plastic polluter for the last several years has been Coca-Cola with an estimated 100 billion plastic bottles ending up in landfills yearly.  

  Many students might be familiar with the idiom “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Especially in times like today, this is true. Writing to local and state representatives can be a good way to have one’s young voice be heard. Advocating for change can be a great and effective way to garner change. Signing petitions and supporting initiatives are easy and accessible ways for many students to get involved. 

   Finally, one more way to help fight deforestation and pollution as a whole is to be aware of one’s carbon footprint. Carpooling with friends, reducing one’s intake of red meat (cow especially), and being mindful of energy use can be great benefactors to the reduction of pollution and can help save trees. Deforestation is not just machines cutting down miles of forest at a time, but also trees and wildlife dying because of polluted air and water. Carbon monoxide  and methane produced by cars, cows, and other red meat animals are greenhouse gasses. These gasses cause holes in the Ozone layer, cause damage to plants, and heat up the environment. 

   By being contentious of the world and how one’s help to combat deforestation in rainforests around the world. Simply by being informed and aware, any single student can make small changes in the world. Together students can change not only how the world today looks, but how the world will look for generations to come.