This is a guest post by ACE Alum Chloe who is now a first year at Harvard. 

The Climate Action Club (http://laclimateaction.webs.com) at my high school initially focused on simple projects that were desperately needed–recycling batteries and cartridges, energy audits, smart strips, etc… Once we covered these bases, we focused on more complex and far-reaching  campaigns like installing vending misers, solar panels, and town-wide reusable bags. But we had to build our foundation. We were educating administrators, students, faculty, and community members as we went along. We were also learning in action, altering and rethinking campaign strategies in the middle of a project to increase our effectiveness and impact.

As students, we straddled  a line between big-thinking changemakers and teenagers. We wanted to change the world, but we also had to realize that our optimism often did not mesh with the needs of business owners. We had to think about our adult audience and understand their perspective. Our goals were to make a big impact, galvanize a movement, inspire, and educate. Local merchants were focused on making ends meet, advertising, market presence, and affordability. We had to organize many meetings to find alternatives that were both meaningful and financially feasible. All activists–no matter how young or old–must empathize with and understand those with whom they are trying to work. For high schoolers, this is a big step.

Things have been different in college. Others see students as legitimate members of society who have well-reasoned and well-informed opinions on different issues. There is less “proving” to do and more inherent credibility. There are established environmental groups (at least at my college) that have covered the basic campaigns. These groups are working on larger projects that target thousands of students, the University itself, the broader community, and sometimes the State.  This means that Freshpeople  have a plethora of new opportunities to explore. From working in the policy sector to doing research to organizing campaigns with fellow activists to collaborating with other students and adult groups–the possibilities are far greater than most people faced in high school. College is an exciting and inspiring opportunity to experiment and reach beyond anything that you have experienced.