Our world has been greatly affected by climate change and it is critical that people, young and old, band together to fight it. Perhaps the biggest factor is the action of our children. That is why I think it is important that children today learn to be eco-friendly at a young age.

I believe the nation should require schools to have a class about being “green” - Green Living could be its name. Every school would teach students about global warming, its effects, and what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint.

In the classes, students could be assigned to find solutions to everyday energy problems, while learning about their impact on the earth and how we all can help. Students would be urged to use what they learned in class at home, where it would affect the whole family.

Too many think that global warming is not a threat, but it is one of our biggest problems. How are children supposed to curb global warming if they grow up not knowing about its dangers? Children should be exposed to ways they can help in elementary school, which is why it is critical that more schools offer environmental education classes.

However, to be effective, schools must take steps to be “green” too. What would children be learning if the school’s lights are always left on and there were no recycling bins? When schools are renovated or new ones are built, towns should support an eco-friendly design that would save energy and reduce power bills.

Green living and green schools are part of a new wave that should be sweeping the nation, but is not. How will our future leaders respond after years of living in a community where preserving our world’s natural integrity just isn’t considered important? Schools and the government should be responsible for teaching young people about global warming quickly. Seriously, how many people does it take to screw in a fluorescent light bulb?