Press Release
For Immediate Release
February 15, 2017
Contact: Sandy Bahr, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org, (602) 999-5790; James Garcia, Chispa AZ, jgcvm1@gmail.com, (602) 460-1374
Protecting the Arizona We All Share
Arizona Youth Come to Legislature in Support of Environmental Protection
(PHOENIX) – Today, 60 students from six Arizona high schools in Phoenix, Mesa, Flagstaff, and Tucson joined about 200 people from 26 legislative districts around the state to meet with their state legislators to encourage support for environmental protection.
This year’s Environmental Day at the Capitol theme was Protecting the Arizona We All Share. Participants met with legislators and discussed a variety of important environmental issues, including conserving water and protecting Arizona’s state parks, among others
Each student communicated one thing he/she/they would like legislators to know about environmental protection.
Statements from Students
“Look, we have problems protecting our natural resources; not only here in Arizona but all over the world. Water is not only special to tribes in the desert but also special to the human race worldwide. We cannot drink contaminated water of any kind, nor can wildlife. We cannot just think of ourselves because we are not the only life form on this planet. We walk alongside creatures that cannot speak for themselves or protect themselves from the rapid growth of human civilizations. We need to stop focusing on our wealth and start focusing on our health.”
Joshua Preston, Changemaker High School, Tucson
“We simply cannot go on continuing to ignore the plethora of environmental issues that Arizona faces. Soaring cancer rates on the reservation as a result of uranium mining and coal production, destruction of delicate and vital ecosystems, overuse and contamination of our precious water sources, desecration of sacred sites, and air pollution are all issues that cannot be overlooked or dismissed. If we hope to have a just, bountiful, and promising future for this state’s youth and for generations to come, these matters must be addressed as the threat that they are. I urge my representatives, as individuals who are deciding my future, to take serious action on these issues.”
Eléa Ziegelbaum, Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy, Flagstaff
“I am participating in Environmental Day so that the anthropogenic issues that have emerged over the years can be heard and taken care of. I want my kids and grandkids to be able to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and physically develop at a normal rate. Everyone should be able to do that! To me, this year’s theme “Protecting the Arizona We Love and Share” means that people in Arizona need to be protecting public lands and places like the Grand Canyon. I think the atmosphere should be placed into Public Trust. The air we breathe is something that has never been owned by anyone, so let’s stop polluters from poisoning our air. Clean air is a human right and something we need to survive. We all live on this earth together, so let’s protect it!”
Anna Rose Mohr-Almeida, Westwood High School, Mesa
“Our environment is everything. And it’s so important to protect it, which is why I am participating in Environmental Day. Currently in Arizona we are facing the risks associated with uranium mining near the Grand Canyon National Park. This would put our natural water resources at risk of contamination. The issue is bigger than it seems. Not only would we be invading sacred Native American land, as we have unjustly done for centuries, but we would pollute our precious land, water, and air. We must have not let greedy corporations invade and threaten the invaluable resources that make Arizona, Arizona.”
Lenika Rivas, Westwood High School, Mesa
“There are people moving into Arizona at a rapid rate, many of whom will need years to set-up their lives here and learn about the state and the region in general. There are also still a good amount of impoverished and homeless people in the state. A total of over 36,000 homeless and around 17% of the state’s population is impoverished. How do you get people to respect the natural environment for all its importance when they may be unfamiliar with the importance of water conservation in the desert or feel like they have more pressing survival needs if they’re impoverished?”
James Alter, Sky Islands School, Tucson
“I'd like to ask that our legislators please protect natural habitats both directly by preserving their beauty and indirectly by conserving resources. Every species of plant and animal has a role in the environment that allows it to thrive, just as every human has a role in society that allows it to be successful. Please use your role to help both in any way you can. The future depends on it.”
Jennifer Gonzalez, Cesar Chavez High School, Phoenix
“The Earth is a place where life thrives and grows. The problem is that we also hurt the Earth. Let's work with the Earth and have a symbiotic relationship with Earth instead of being a polluting parasite. We have the technology and the knowledge to create sustainable ways of obtaining clean energy. Love the Earth and Protect the Environment.”
Joshua Knight, Bioscience High School, Phoenix
See attached for additional student statements.
Groups participating in Environmental Day at the Capitol include Animal Defense League of Arizona
Arizona Faith Network Earth Care Commission, Arizona Heritage Alliance, Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, Be Outdoors Arizona, Center for Biological Diversity, Chispa Arizona, Citizens’ Water Advocacy Group, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Desert Rivers Audubon, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Kids Climate Action Network, Maricopa Audubon Society, Phoenix Lobos-Rising Packtivist Group, Save Our Ancient Redrocks, Inc. (SOAR), Sierra Club – Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter, Sky Islands School, Tucson Audubon Society, and Yuma Audubon Society.