As college students everything in the world is moving fast and constantly changing, much like our climate. It can be difficult to find time and resources to feel like you are personally making a difference, especially when you’re juggling part-time jobs, studying for exams, and worrying about your future and the planet’s future. 

When I started at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2019, I was constantly bombarded with these dilemmas. I knew that I cared deeply about our planet and that I wanted to do as much as possible to help preserve it for the future, but I just didn’t know how to balance time for my passions and prepare for my career at the same time. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I finally had an answer to my problem, and a mentor, to show me how I could combine my environmental passion while working in a creative field.

In 2020, I worked on a student documentary for a regenerative farm that inspired me to become an environmental filmmaker. I’ve since realized that many of my fellow students have had my same quandaries about their career and climate activism. One of these students was my roommate’s best friend, Eden Palmer. 
 

Eden has taught me that you don’t have to jump off buildings or even build them to implement sustainability into your life or career. Try the vegan chicken nuggets. Research where your clothes are coming from. Encourage a recycling program at your office or meatless Fridays. Reconnect with the earth and your ancestors. You don’t need to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders in order to save it. Young people like Eden give hope in the face of the climate crisis and remind us that although the world is sometimes dark and gloomy, there will always be shimmers of light peeking through the clouds.