2022 Environment Summer Camp

Writer：John Zhou

Environmental issues have been increasingly concerning throughout modern society and especially during the pandemic. The 2022 Southern Carolina Environmental Summer Camphosted by SCCAEPA is dedicated to building young people with not only awareness, but also determination and skills to tackle these issues. 

The AEC Environmental Summer Camp this year consists of five different yet relevant projects: Water Recycling/Reclamation, Organic Waste Recycling, California native plants and the environment, surface water management and drinking water distributions and water quality. Students are going to work as a team to face challenging projects through discussions and conducting research. 

The camp coordinator Dr.Cao mentioned in her interview that all students in the camp will learn technical knowledge regarding the environment; build up team working experience and leadership skills; practice public speaking and most importantly, have fun. She values the experience that these students go through, “I hope the students value the experience and further develop their environmental awareness and the desire for them to take actions.”

The first event of the AEC Environmental Summer Camp involved ice-breaking activities that allowed the students to bond and better know each other. These activities contribute to their projects since they gain team working experience while working with their peers. The students look forward to the future activities in the camp and are willing to help the environment. A student leader mentioned in the interview:“I can use the knowledge about the environment I learnt here to acknowledge my friends and families and try to make a difference.”

We hope and believe that the students in the  2022 AEC Environmental Summer Camp are going to learn and take actions towards helping the environment. “Even if you consider yourself on the right side of environmental issues and a true believer in climate change, chances are that you are actively degrading the earth as much as, or more than, the people you argue with. An effort tempered by humility will go much further than one armored with righteousness.” – Hope Jahren