On February 10, Lawrence High’s environmental science students had the opportunity to be guests at the Kansas Capitol for the second year in a row. W.E.A.L.T.H. Day, hosted by the Climate and Energy Project, is a community event that invites Kansas to explore the politics of Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health, or ‘WEALTH.’
AP Environmental Science students and Environmental Club members spent the school day at the Capitol in Topeka, Kansas. The morning itinerary included a legislative briefing and an overview on ‘How to Lobby.’ A Youth and Justice panel followed, featuring speakers from all over Kansas with wide-ranging experiences in environmental activism.
Senior Anne Woolverton was one of four panelists and the sole high school representative. The opportunity to participate in the panel arose through Lawrence High’s connection to alumna Christina Haswood, who now works with the Climate and Energy Project and served as moderator for the panel.
Woolverton said that while being the youngest panelist was somewhat intimidating, she appreciated the opportunity to represent Lawrence High.
“A lot of the people there definitely had more experience than me or more of a formal education regarding climate projects, but I also think it’s important to have a voice of a more normal person,” Woolverton said. “Just to calm other people down and let them know that like, even small things they do are important…every effort counts.”
Woolverton networked with other speakers before and after the panel, building connections with organizations like Loud Light, an advocacy group that aims to increase civic engagement in Kansas.
“This is just a really good intro activity, and it was nice to make some connections, ” Woolverton said. “It was a big deal to me because it was like, ‘I’m speaking at the Capitol, this is insane and something I’ve never done before.’”
The rest of the day allowed time for students to engage with W.E.A.L.T.H. Day sponsors such as the League of Women Voters and the Flint Hills Renewable Energy and Efficiency Cooperative. This gave students the chance to mingle and network with a variety of organizations, many of which offer internships and professional opportunities for high school students.
The day culminated in a rally protesting Evergy’s construction of a new power plant. After participants gathered with signs in the Capitol’s rotunda, Haswood delivered a powerful speech to get protesters fired up.
“It’s not in our best interest, but we know that these are definitely the results of corporate greed,” Haswood said. “You all have a strong voice that needs to be heard of at the Kansas Corporation Commission level. Now, you can take action today.”
Grassroots environmental justice organizer Beto Martinez was next to speak, and emphasized the demographic inequalities that result from poor environmental policy.
“The fossil fuel industry will continue to negatively impact, murder our people, murder our communities, because that’s what they do,” Martinez said. “We need to come together and protect our neighbors, protect our families.”
The social justice aspects of climate advocacy are often unexplored in the average high school curriculum. W.E.A.L.T.H. Day provided students the opportunity to explore these issues through hands-on legislative involvement.
“Our voices are powerful, our lived experiences are powerful,” Haswood said. “We have a say in what our future of clean energy should look like for Kansas.”
