By: Siddarth Chavali, Helping Ninja, Age 13
The fact that climate change is one of the most tempestuous, and detrimental problems in the world is indisputable. This fact is unequivocal for climate change and air pollution have already caused the deaths of millions of people, destruction of agriculture, world hunger, illness, and severe depredation on the environment. In order to address this problem, Representative Carey Hamilton proposed a bill to make our communities and environment more resilient by taking action against climate change.
On February 26, Leo Berry and I attended the Environmental Affairs Committee to hear Hamilton Southeastern High School Senior Vernice Riego testify on Representative Hamilton’s bill. Before Representative Hamilton proposed the bill for climate change, another bill was proposed which favored economic wealth but can potentially endure depredation on the environment, for it disrupts the protection of wetlands.
By 1985, 85% of Indiana’s wetlands had already been destroyed. Senator Victoria Spartz proposed a bill that removes countenance in wetland repair, which can harm the environment. This is detrimental for wetlands have a significant role in the environment. For instance, wetlands act as an absorber of water, so when it rains, water gradually moves throughout water systems (rivers, streams, lakes, etc.). Thus, when heavy precipitation occurs, wetlands prevent flash-flooding by absorbing rainwater. Wetlands also filter pollutants from the atmosphere like nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and suspended solids. They also have a valuable role in filtering water, for wetlands filter out the sedimentation, decompose vegetative matter and convert chemicals into a usable form.
Wetlands are significant in the struggle against climate change. In fact, controlling the climate is one of the greatest hydrologic functions of wetlands. Through a process called evapotranspiration, wetlands return 2/3 of their annual water to the atmosphere. As demonstrated, wetlands have a great impact which is important for the environment. It is the Government’s or the State’s responsibility to preserve wetlands and this bill would cause further harm to this important ecosystem. Despite causing contention, Senator Spartz’s bill was passed by the Environmental Affairs Committee.
After Senator Spartz’s proposal, Representative Carey hamilton proposed her bill which favored the environment and fought against climate change, for it creates an environmentally sustainable community, mainly by utilizing green manufacturing. During this time, Vernice Riego, a senior at Hamilton Southeastern High School also spoke against climate change. She emphasized the contentious effects of climate change and how communities can fight against climate change, creating resilient communities. When concluding, Representative Hamilton proposed a vote, however, her proposal was declined.
Although Senator Hamilton’s bill was declined, it was one of the most decisive steps in taking action against climate change. In conclusion, we will continue to spread awareness and take action to create more resilient communities and fight climate change.
by preparing healthy, nutritious meals, and promotes a sustainable environment by practicing compost and recycling methods in the kitchen.
Helping Ninjas™ celebrates efforts at Second Helpings through our #StandUp4RPlanet initiative and recognizes Second Helpings for its efforts to stand up for the planet since 1998. 
Second Helpings repurposes rescued food to feed those in need, helps promote culinary skills and opportunity by preparing healthy, nutritious meals, and promotes a sustainable environment by practicing compost and recycling methods in the kitchen. To date Second Helpings has repurposed 200,000 pounds of rescued food this year alone — and delivered approximately 80,000 meals per month.
Helping Ninjas™ supports Second Helpings charitable efforts.
hunger by organizing a charitable cause to collect items from Second Helpings kitchen Wish List. The children held a “Rock For A Cause” event with partner School of Rock in Carmel, IN on April 2018 to bring awareness to their hunger and food waste and its connection. Helpings Ninjas collected and donated over $100 of spices, vingers and oils to Second Helpings.
So what can we do about it? We can start by obviously, not using straws. But, how do we get others to not use straws? Join the Helping Ninjas and Stand Up To Straws! Helping Ninjas are starting a new campaign, to stand up to straws! You can join too simply by taking the pledge to not use straws & posting a picture of yourself sipping out of cup – with no straw, or using a reusable or plastic straw – or by sharing important information such as the info in this blog!
Can you live without a straw? You can just sip out of a cup normally. And, if you are in a vehicle, you just have to be extra careful not to spill and ask them not to fill the cup to the top! 
Or if you have to have a straw – don’t hurt the planet just because you can’t go without one! Be thoughtful to the Earth and everyone on it, and take the extra step to buy paper straws, like the photo to the left by Kickerland, and/or reusable/recyclable metal ones, like this photo of the kind that U-KONSERVE makes & sell.
