Join me to save the Earth

IT WAS before my lifetime that humans created a hole in the ozone layer. It was before I took my first breath that people polluted our oceans to the point of over one million seabirds killed by plastic pollution each year. It was before I was even a thought in my mother’s head that the world decided to extract our Earth’s resources to a point of no return. Now it is my responsibility to decide what happens next.

On my 18th birthday, I unlocked my right to vote. I voted for the first time two months ago in the primary because I cannot be silenced. A vote is a voice. I am 18, and I have lived through 14 of the hottest years on average. Temperatures are climbing, oceans are rising, and thoughts of protected lands are fading quickly into the distance. The time I have spent outside has allowed me to make it through 18 years of life in the world my generation has inherited.

When my toes first sunk into the warm New Mexico soil, and my soul latched on to Mother Earth, I knew I needed to do something for them, for the future, for the ones who have not yet taken their first breath or dug their heels into the dirt. They, too, deserve the opportunity for their soul to be connected to the immense beauty on this planet we call Earth. While others may mock their right to an Earth intact, to clean air, clear waters and lush forests, I do not. I promise to fight not only for my generation, but also for the future. It is time that we ALL unite and take action. No matter age, race, gender, class, interests, heritage or background. If you believe in a future where children have a right to a beautiful planet, do not be silenced. Stand with me. MARISA GRANADOS Albuquerque