Teens go green

Each year, Sustainability Matters offers a platform to some of the brightest eco-wordsmiths in our region, chosen from the senior class at Mountain Vista Governor’s School. MVGS is a science-focused public high school program serving seven Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont counties. Like many of today’s youth, MVGS students come of age witnessing striking demographic and landscape change: suburban sprawl has permanently altered what was once a sleepy agricultural area, bringing all the environmental impact associated with rapid development. These teens shoulder the burden of previous generations’ conservation choices with creativity and optimism, giving us hope for the environment’s future and for their own.

This year’s bloggers are Brenna Gelormine and Priya Kommu.

• Brenna’s on her way to changing the world, heading to William & Mary to study environmental and public policy,

• Priya’s our poet with a scientific bent, aiming for a double major in English and biology at the University of Virginia.

Here, in their words, are their hopes, dreams, and plans for the planet.