Who We Are

Students for Sustainability was formed at Port Townsend High School in 2012 after studying climate change in our 10th grade science class.  We are a student-run organization! After spending the past two years working on lowering the carbon footprint at our school, we have realized we need to do more if we are going to have a sustainable and livable future.

Our mission now is to take action to mitigate climate change not only at our school and in our community, but at a national level.

Our story is already gaining local acclaim, and has been covered by the Port Townsend Leader and the Peninsula Daily News

We have been meeting with state and national legislators in our area, and now we are taking our message across the nation.

Why Urgent Action on Climate Change is So Important

The facts are sobering:

- the 10 hottest recorded years in history have been within the past 16

- we have reached a level of 400 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere, a level which has not been seen in 800,000 years. We know that more CO2 means a warmer planet and a warmer planet means an increase in severe weather

- 2013 set a new global record for billion-dollar weather disasters with 41 disasters like Hurricane Sandy, which caused $68,000,000,000 in damage

As the generation that will inherit this crisis, we can’t wait any longer for politicians to argue the facts.  As President Obama said in his State of the Union Address this year, “the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.” We need solutions NOW!

Therefore, as passionate and dedicated citizens of planet Earth, we will travel by public transportation from our small town in western Washington to the ‘other’ Washington to bring our message of hope and plea for action to our leaders.

We Will Create a Wave of Student Voices Across Our Nation!

To provide a voice for our fellow concerned students, we will be contacting schools along the train route from Seattle to D.C. (55 stops through 12 states!) and picking up petitions from students as we go (see Updates to download) or sign our national online petition.  Around the clock, we will meet energized young adults across America and bring their concerns with us as we generate a wave of hope for our leaders to do the right thing - for us and for generations to come!

We Need Help to Fund Our Travel Costs - we leave on March 27th!

To keep a low carbon footprint, public transportation will be taken all the way there and back, including 7 days on the train round-trip!  We are staying at the youth hostel to support more 'green', sustainable and affordable accommodations.

For each student (there are 15 students on this life-changing journey!)

$ 1,500 = total cost of trip including travel, lodging, and meals

 $ 503 = one coach train ticket; round trip; 7 days on the train!

 $ 172 = lodging/breakfast at the hostel for 4 days

 $ 43 = lodging/breakfast at the hostel for 1 day

 $ 25 = one dinner on the train

Your financial support is critical, but we also need your moral and social support. Please share this with your friends and spread the word. The more people that support us, the closer we get to our goal. If you want to stay informed about what we’re doing, you can like our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or follow our blog.

We are trying our best to make a difference.

Accomplishments:

• we are a student run organization which has taken innovative steps to reduce the carbon footprint at our school by:

 - restructuring and restarting the 'broken' recycling program

 - conducting an energy and waste audit to reduce the amount of garbage at the school

 - creating a business plan to show the cafeteria that they can

   save about $10,000 per year if they switch to reusable dishes and trays instead of disposable ones

 - switching to paperless bulletins, homework and assignments saving 30-100 reams of paper each year

 - recruited another 25 students making us the largest club on campus!

Awards:

1) The Students for Sustainability have just received a prestigious honor for our groundbreaking work in our community.  The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded certificates of recognition to each of us for our work on sustainability issues, both at our high school and in the work we are doing with the Northwest Watershed Institute and the Jefferson Land Trust.  

The citation reads:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, through the President's Environmental Youth Awards Program, congratulates the students involved in the 'Students for Sustainability' project.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is pleased to present this Presidential recognition to the Students for Sustainability and those who supported and assisted in the project.  You have all made an important contribution to the environmental resources of Washington.

Congratulations to you all.

Each certificate is signed by President Obama and carries the presidential seal along with a student's name.

This certification allows us to compete with students from Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon, for the award winner to represent the EPA's Region 10.  If we win this award, we will move on to a national competition.

2) The president of Students for Sustainability, Ewan Shortess, was selected as a 2013 K-12 Student Environmental Leader at the annual E3 Washington Green Apple Awards on June 27, 2013.  He was recognized for his leadership as president of the Students For Sustainability at the high school, as well as his role as a member of the city and county Climate Action Committee.

What you will receive

We need over $25,000 for our dedicated group to travel the 3,000 miles to D.C. and stay at the hostel.  We will be deeply appreciative of any support you can provide. It all adds up!!

All contributions are tax deductible donations to Port Townsend School District #50.  If you would like a letter for tax purposes, please send a request to the Student for Sustainability at sfspths@gmail.com.

Please note - Donors who donate anonymously will by default not have their name listed on our website. If you are an anonymous donor, but would like your name listed on our website, please e-mail sfspths@gmail.com.

To show our appreciation, we are offering these perks:

Limited time perks - Ending February 7  - 10 available

$1,000 - your name on a new recycling bin including photo of your bin with Students for Sustainability members

$10 – Supporter

You get a personalized hand-written thank you note and your name listed on the donors section of our blog.

$25 – Enthusiast

You get a photo of our group meeting with an influential leader in Washington, D.C., a personalized hand-written thank you note, and your name listed on the donors section of our blog.

$50 – Cheerleader for the Planet

A tree planted in your name in critical salmon habitat, preserved by a conservation easement for perpetuity and a photo included with all the perks from the Enthusiast level. This tree will sequester 2 tons of carbon during its lifetime, the equivalent of a cross-country plane trip.

$100 – Stop Talking, Start Planting

Three trees planted in your name in critical salmon habitat, preserved by a conservation easement for perpetuity and a photo included with all the perks from the Enthusiast level. These trees will sequester 6 tons of carbon during their combined lifetimes, the equivalent of traveling 15,000 miles by car.

$500 – Game Changer – 30 available

We will include a video shout-out to you in our video blog from the train station closest to your home. If you meet us at the station, you'll be in the video! You also receive all the perks from the Stop Talking, Start Planting level.

$1,000 – Tipping Point Level – 20 available

You get a 30 minute video conference via Skype or Google Hangouts with the members of Students for Sustainability, as well as all the perks from the Game Changer level.

$2,000 – Planet-Saver Level – 10 available

You get a full hour long video conference via Skype or Google Hangouts with the members of Students for Sustainability, as well as all the perks from the Game Changer level.