Emerson Blog #2 Environmental Justice Conference Youth Leadership in Nature Challenge D.C.

Emerson Hernandez, Sophomore, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador - The Green Institute- Furr High School; Environmental Communications, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Systems Pathways

 My name is Emerson Hernandez, I am a 10 grader at The Green Institute at Furr High School.  I love to plant trees and help others. GreenSchools! allows for me to give back to my community by giving me the tools, support and connections to organizations such as the  U.S. Forest Service and United States Department of Agriculture and Project Learning Tree.  I am Project Learning Tree Certified, I received the training through the assistance of Project Learning Tree GreenSchools!, and Friends of the Forest and Grasslands in Teaxs – Latino Legacy.

I facilitate Project Learning Tree activities with youth in elementary, middle school, and high school. With a focus of conservation education and gaining observation of what's around you. Through Latino Legacy, I have been able to participate in the Youth in Nature Leadership Challenge summer program. Where we visit universities and camp nearby.  We learn about possible careers that we as youth may proceed after high school. Through the camping trips I have participated, I have opened my eyes to jobs such as Civil Engineering and Agricultural Engineering that I want to study in college. I wish to become a conservation education leader, restore deserts to feed healthy food to all that we can.  Seeing the community I live…malnourish, poor soil, lack of fresh foods, and polluted air, I take action threw GreenSchools!. Working and establishing community gardens and planting trees with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation throughout our community, so we may conserve the land that is there and restore what has been depleted. We have planted pollinator gardens with partners such as the U.S Fish and Wild Life Service.

There are always more solutions then problems, this is why I am always fighting to help others in any way that I can.  We are family in the Houston East End Greenbelt, and were we live, we all want to see changes. We as youth, are making changes little by little...voicing solutions, and planting one tree at a time.