Yet, some students in Wayland and across Massachusetts have not resigned. In fact, they’re just getting started. Green Team, WHS’ climate awareness and advocacy club, has been working to enact practices in Wayland that promote climate justice. From ensuring that students recycle and compost their trash during lunch, to lobbying for climate literacy in schools, members of Green Team can be found all the way from the WHS Commons to the Statehouse.

WHS’ Green Team has been working alongside other climate awareness clubs across the state to pass the Massachusetts Climate Literacy Trust Fund bill, or House Bill 4419. The bill would support “interdisciplinary climate education in the state, prioritizing underserved communities and communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change.” Interdisciplinary education means that students would be learning about climate change across multiple classes at school, something that junior Green Team member Tara Sawrikar believes will provide students with a more comprehensive understanding of the climate, as well as equip them with ways to combat climate change.

“Generally, when people think of climate change and sustainability, they immediately go to science classes and want to implement them there,” Sawrikar said. “While that is very important, it also should be put in other subjects like in English, History and math, too. It can be integrated in a lot of different ways that aren’t just in science classes.”

According to Sawrikar, with the issue of climate change becoming more pressing each day, an interdisciplinary approach to climate change education is necessary to enact substantial climate justice. Though some students at WHS may already be aware of the dangers of climate change, Sawrikar and McCormack agree that an education limited solely to the science of climate change isn’t enough to provide students with the resources needed to take action on the issue. Implementing interdisciplinary climate literacy programs throughout the state, however, could make combating climate change a reality for students.

“[Education through science classes] is something that most schools already have, but we also wanted to teach about new solutions,” McCormack said. “Not just like, ‘turn off the light’ solutions, but solutions that are more impactful, like lobbying for solutions, helping kids with the civics of that and helping people actually advocate for these bills as part of the curriculum.”

For those petitioning for climate policy reform and justice, some experts claim that interdisciplinary climate literacy is a solution of great importance, as being actively exposed to the issues and solutions surrounding climate change can impact students’ daily behaviors. Sawrikar says that the urgency of the issue and the immense impact it has on people around the world only stresses the importance of implementing such a curriculum.

“Climate education is just one of those things that people have to look at,” Sawrikar said. “People won’t always look at the news and really seek out that education, so it’s important that everyone, regardless of interests, has [climate literacy] ingrained in them.”

For Sawrikar, all it took was some exposure to environmental issues during middle school for her to develop a passion for climate change. Sawrikar hopes that with the passage of climate literacy bills in Massachusetts and across the country, other students can also begin their own advocacy campaigns to push for bills that are important to them.

“In eighth grade, what we learned really stuck out to me,” Sawrikar said. “I feel like if more people were exposed to [climate issues] in that way or more often, they would also feel more inclined to make a difference themselves.”

In November, seniors in high school, college students and citizens across the country will be voting in the 2024 Presidential Election. Rideout believes that the youth, who often are the strongest advocates for climate justice, can make substantial progress by exercising their democratic rights.

“The solutions are going to be most likely found in government regulation, which means in a democracy, that’s every citizen’s responsibility,” Rideout said. “Think about the direction you want your city, state or nation to go in [in terms of] climate change. That stuff really matters.”