Guest Post: The Importance of Telling Your Environmental Story

Half of the earth’s population is made up of young people under the age of 27. This is a generation that grew up with recycle bins sitting aside the family garbage can. They don’t know of a time when it was normal to throw away your empty water bottle.

The need to act sustainably is ingrained in their DNA; they want to ensure that the life they are leading is also one of being friendly toward the environment. I experienced this firsthand when I met recently with a group of metro Detroit students at Michigan Green Schools West Bloomfield High School and St. Mary School in Mt. Clemens.  They showed interest in being a part of the environmental solution.

We had a robust discussion, focusing on topics ranging from alternative energy vehicles to electrification to the aforementioned recycling. And I came away with a renewed sense of excitement about how this generation will tackle climate change.

On top of activities like visiting classrooms, we’re also heavily invested in getting kids out of the classroom through GM GREEN, a program run by Earth Force. It provides opportunities for young people to learn about the watersheds where they live and use their findings to create lasting solutions for pressing water quality issues.

I see our support of local schools and organizations looking to improve their environmental reputation as another aspect of our leadership in the environmental space. It can be as simple as sharing information and encouraging others to do their part, but it’s important, nonetheless.

It can be tied into how businesses are working to reduce their collective footprints, allowing those aforementioned entities to get a different perspective on how they can reduce their impact, collectively or as individuals. But we leave them with knowledge they can act upon, and it helps everyone become better stewards for the globe.

In an ever-changing environment, we believe everyone should have access to the information that keeps the world running. It is why meeting with students is an important part of our overall environmental strategy as a company: they get it and want to be a part of the solution.

By providing our environmental story, we can all be a part of the next chapter.

Sharon Basel is GM’s manager of energy & environment communications.