Why the TJSPI?

So we have been blogging about the TJSPI itself for a few posts now, but I feel it is important to write about why I am so personally involved with the TJSPI? Why do I feel a connection to it? Why have I linked my well-being to the health of the TJSPI? Why am I emotionally and psychologically attached to the TJSPI, a mere organization?

.

For me, my major involvement with the modern environmental movement has its roots with the TJSPI. As far back as I can remember, I have sympathized with the natural world. Not environmentalism, per se, but an early, cognizant recognition of the dangers facing the environment. In elementary school, as we learned about the destruction of rainforests, I can recall recognizing the horrors while many of my classmates glossed over the lesson as just more work.

.

These embers of my current interest in the environment slowly burnt on… my sophomore year came, when I noticed that a new club had been formed, the “Environmental Impact Club.” It was at this first meeting that I was finally provided the opportunity to devote every moment of my free time to the environmental movement by coming up with the idea for the TJSPI. Thus, for me, my interest in the environment and the TJSPI have grown as one, and are inextricably linked in my mind.

.

But my undying passion for the environment and for the cause that the TJSPI champions is less esoteric and emotionally-based as well. I truly believe that renewable energy is the future of our nation, and of the world. Scientifically speaking, our current lifestyle and energy habits are destructive and unsustainable: it is physically and mathematically impossible for our planet to sustain us if we continue our habits as they stand today. This leaves us two options: change our habits, or continue our habits at the expense of millions of innocent people - and animals, plants, and our very planet. The first option is far preferable on the moral compass, but far more difficult. Habits die hard. It is a cliche, but it is the truth. But there is indeed a formula to breaking a habit: make conscious efforts to change. Catch yourself when you fall back to the habit. Make incremental steps. And eventually, you will be changed.

.

The TJSPI is, for me, the first step towards this change. By the changing the habits of a high school - the most local level we can get, apart from residential installations - we can influence change among ourselves, the people, the ones who drive this world. By showcasing the potential of renewable energy at a high school, we can push the use of renewable energy to greater heights. The ultimate would be, of course, that our model will be adopted by other high school across the area, then across the nation, then businesses will follow suit, until ultimately, the government will see an intense desire among our citizenry. They will see the desire to be liberated from the bonds of oil. The desire to live a guilt-free life, knowing that turning on the light will no longer eclipse the natural world in searing darkness. The desire to be at the forefront of the greatest technological, scientific, and moral revolution our great civilization has faced for centuries.

.

I often appreciate the fact that one single action can have multiple consequences, and I strive to pursue those actions that have multiple positive consequences so as to maximize the benefit gained by humanity. In accordance with this philosophy, the TJSPI has multiple beneficial consequences that I believe in. Not only will the solar panels reduce our reliance on oil, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a model for other schools and for the nation, but they will have non-environmental benefits as well. Most important, for me, is the fact that the solar panels will reduce energy costs for the school, thus allowing funds to be redirected to other underfunded areas.

I have watched the TJSPI grow from nothing to something - something significant - and every moment of the journey has meant something not only to me, but to our many members as well. All of our time revolves around the TJSPI; we find ourselves researching some facts, finding companies to contact, writing letters, and dreaming of the TJSPI unintentionally. For myself, and all of our members, this entire path has been and will be one of the most significant we have ever taken in our young lives.

.

-Varun

In-School Publicity

If my experience in the TJSPI has taught me one thing, it’s that fundraising is the most arduous, frustrating, and time consuming process ever, and publicizing is a close second. We’ve been working so hard recently to get the funds we need that we sort of neglected publicity, and it’s come back to bite us; last month we began to realize that we were going to be able to install the panels in a matter of months but that majority of the kids at TJ had no idea it was happening. To remedy this, we started going to school events such as theater productions and class fundraisers to set up our faithful tri-fold of information and to try to get students and their parents to notice us. The results have been varied. Some people walk by us and try to not make eye-contact, but others are genuinely interested. One elderly couple spent five minutes telling me that I’m a hero and an upstanding youth for making this effort to save the environment, and one kid got me into a full-blown debate over the existence of global warming and the definition of the apocalypse. The donations I’ve collected have also been varied. One kid gave me two dollars he found in his pocket because he wanted to find out if we really mailed donors a thank you letter, and yet one mom got so excited that she sat down right then and there and wrote me out a $250 check. On the whole I was encouraged by the amount of support and enthusiasm that I found in the school community. The primary goal of the TJSPI is to implement solar panels at TJ, but secondarily we want to inform people about the environmental crisis going on and how there are very accessible solutions, and I think we’re slowly but surely getting there.

.

Sarah