When I first arrived at Climate Camp, I was surprised to see a wide age range. Yet we all became great friends in the time span of a week.
We had the opportunity to bike around downtown Indianapolis and visit the Nature Conservancy, Indiana State Museum, The Sky Farm at Eskenazi Health. It was amazing to see that you can have a farm and/or garden anywhere you live, even in the city.
While at the Sky Farm, we could smell the fumes from a local brewery, giving us a visual of what we had been talking about. That everything you choose to do has an impact on the people around you.
During Climate Camp's bicycle tour of Indianapolis, Iris had a mishap on her bike. Like a warrior, she got right up and kept on biking.
One of the most interesting facts that I learned was that your toilet wastes more water than your other household actions.
The other day, I was wearing my climate camp t-shirt and someone asked me about my future. They were surprised to hear about the temperature rise, scarce amounts of clean water, and that food supplies will be threatened. And than when I mentioned that reducing your personal consumption could help solve these problems, she was completely shocked! She had said, that she had no idea that your clothes go to the landfills when you throw them away.
The whole week of camp was an amazing experience and I learned so many new things and I’m sure all of the other campers did as well; from going around Indianapolis and seeing how Indiana is trying to help fight Climate Change and promoting possible solutions.
Iris O'Donnell Bellisario, 16
Gambold Preparatory Magnet High School
For more on Climate Camp, see Jim Poyser's blog.