Environmental activism grow in Newbury Park
Introduction
It is all around us all the time, it has always been here, it is always changing and we only have one of it. This is not a riddle; it is our environment. While the majority of the waste thrown into the garbage bin ends up in a landfill, a portion of the waste gets recycled and reused through reprocessing plants, lengthening a product’s and the raw material’s lifetime. At Newbury Park High School [NPHS], clubs and classes targeted towards environmental action and information are available for all students. Environmental awareness is an impactful part of not only NPHS but also the community as a whole, as it encourages connection and discussion.
Conejo Climate Coalition
Various climate organizations within the Conejo Valley work to take environmental action, one of which is the Conejo Climate Coalition. Jet Thompson, an environmental science student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at CSU Channel Islands, became involved in 2021 after attending COP26 [the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference]. “I had recently moved to the area and was looking for a way to give back to my community,” Thompson said. As a member of the coalition, Thompson advocates for climate policy in the Conejo Valley. “We want to help our community be resilient in the face of climate change. […] We’re looking to not just adapt to the effects, but mitigate the effects of climate change. We attend city council meetings, and we study the agenda in advance to make comments on different pieces of city business,” Thompson said.
Throughout her time as a member, Thompson believes the coalition has made an impact on local climate policies. “Members of the coalition did meet with developers, and I think [they] got three projects to agree to build all electric, which was very exciting. We have also participated in campaigns to get city leaders elected; most notably, we campaigned for David Newman and Tie Gutierrez, who are two of the newer council members on [the] city council,” Thompson said. Thompson understands that climate activism can seem overwhelming, yet urges people to understand its value. “A lot of times, our leaders prioritize what they think their community wants, and if they’re not getting a lot of people speaking about their concerns about climate issues, they are going to operate from an understanding that that’s not something that the community is worried about,” Thompson said.
The Conejo Climate Coalition is hosting a Community Action Fair on Nov. 8 from noon to 3 p.m. The event will feature neighboring organizations such as 805 UndocuFund, Adelante and Buen Vecino. It is free to attend and will be held at the Conejo Creek North Park in Thousand Oaks. “[There will be] a lot of different organizations that are all community-focused, but different aspects of community. They are all influenced by what we see as an overarching umbrella of climate,” Thompson said. Although the event will discuss climate issues, Thompson aims to make it as enjoyable as she can. “We want to have a celebration, it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re also going to have food and dancing and speakers to share. What we envision is an opportunity for people to see the issues that concern them and connect with people who are doing something about it,” Thompson said.
Plant Palooza
On Oct. 11, the Conejo Open Space Foundation held its third annual Native Plant Palooza and Ecofest at Conejo Creek North Park. According to the Conejo Open Space Foundation [COSF], this event “provides inspiration for attendees to protect our environment and be good stewards of our open space.” There were a multitude of different organizations in attendance to promote their cause, including the Conejo Valley Garden Club, California Wildlife Center and the Organic Garden Club of Ventura County. The Theodore Payne Foundation, a non-profit organization featured at the Plant Palooza, focuses on educating Southern Californians about the ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes.
Lou Avery Douglas, community engagement manager, recognizes the importance of having events like the Native Plant Palooza and Ecofest in the community. “It’s so rare for there to be a place where you can just hang out for free and meet community members for free […] it’s a great way to learn lots of new things,” Douglas said.
Green Valley Project
Growing the next generation of environmental leaders, a program called the Green Valley Project offers high schoolers the opportunity to get closer and learn more about the environment. Across Ventura County, they have been able to plant and grow over 4,000 native plants, train 300 youth in environmental leadership and successfully complete 12 community service projects. Program Assistant for the Thousand Oaks Youth Council team, Justin Ruby, aims to educate teenagers about the outdoors and introduce them to community service projects while being a part of the Green Valley Project. “My goal is to really connect students to conservation, the ever-growing threats towards wildlife conservation and habitat conservation. I think it’s important to give students the kind of agency to be able to be part of the change and part of the monitoring efforts, so they don’t feel like it’s just the big scientists in the field, they get to kind of do some of that work while building their resume,” Ruby said.
During the spring, Ruby and his program worked on helping preserve the environment by pulling out invasive plants from the wetlands, helping restore the habitats and helping the ecosystem maintain its functions. In the fall, the Green Valley Project is working to set up trail cameras in Conejo Valley to help monitor the wildlife presence.
Spotlights
MARTIN: IB Environmental Science teacher, Robert Martin, has been teaching the course since 2012. One of the main ideas in the class is that every action has benefits and costs. “It’s not as simple as just ‘some things are good and some things are bad.’ But any choice that we make has pros and cons, even choices that have positive impacts also come with some negative impacts,” Martin said. Martin also aims to teach his students critical thinking and developing their own stance on topics as it relates to environmental science. “My favorite thing about Environmental Science is […] seeing students take the time to consider their own opinions about things, [offering] them information and perspectives that perhaps they haven’t considered in the past, and seeing the way in which they process that for themselves and develop their own ideas about the world,” Martin said.
LIANG: Recycling Club, an environmentally focused group at NPHS, is co-led by senior and treasurer Clark Liang. Every Friday after school, members collect recyclables from bins across campus to make sure materials are properly sorted so they can be reused instead of thrown away. According to Liang, the club raises about $1,500 each year from recyclables, which it donates to other clubs in need of funding. “When clubs find out how much money they’re able to get from the Recycling Club, it really brings to their attention how big of an issue not recycling is,” Liang said. Other than just collecting recyclables, the club also teaches students about what can and cannot be recycled and shows how small habits can make a big difference. Liang encourages anyone free on Fridays to join the club and meet new people.
BRONK: Beyond NPHS, the Conejo Valley Unified School District [CVUSD] Student District Advisory Committee [SDAC] also works to improve the environment through its Environmental Subcommittee, led by Delaney Bronk, senior at Westlake High School. Bronk has led the subcommittee for four years and focuses on environmental education throughout CVUSD. In 2024, the subcommittee created a presentation for middle schoolers about the environment. “Even a 10-minute presentation can create a lifelong appreciation for our planet,” Bronk said. Bronk encourages others to make small changes to their lifestyle to be environmentally conscious. “Just make sure you’re just trying to do your daily life with a little bit of an environmental mindset, because, while it may not affect your life right now, it may affect your life in the future, or future generations,” Bronk said.
Local businesses
In our community, environmental awareness and action about topics such as the process of recycling and reusing are prevalent. Evergreen Recycling plans to open its doors at Kimber Shopping Plaza on Nov. 1. This will be Evergreen Recycling’s third location, where anyone can go to recycle cans and bottles for cash. Koko Balian, founder and owner of Evergreen Recycling, notes the monetary compensation for recycling plastic bottles as well as cans. “The purpose of this is for you to redeem your 5 cents back and in addition to just getting your money back, you also become proactive in helping the environment,” Balian said. Balian acknowledges that it may seem like an insignificant compensation, but believes its impact is significant. “Not enough emphasis is put on the importance of recycling for our environment in every aspect, and not only for our current generation, but especially for future generations and what our company is doing is just a very small piece in the efforts to keep this idea going and being proactive in trying to help the environment,” Balian said. Evergreen Recycling recently received a grant to improve recycling technology to help it continue to recycle and reuse more plastic. “We are only one of, I think, two or three companies in all of Ventura County that were awarded these grants to have this technology,” Balian said.
Conclusion
Taking part in clubs and classes on campus as well as taking bottles to be recycled are just some of the ways to be environmentally conscious. According to the EPA, Americans on average use 82 gallons of water each day. Taking shorter showers and conserving water is a simple way we can practice environmental awareness. While taking part in environmental action is an important consideration for many people on a daily basis, it is also important to acknowledge the economic and political ramifications of passing environmental laws. The California Environmental Quality Act [CEQA], a law first passed in 1970, requires businesses to take the environmental impact into account when making decisions; however, this law has received negative feedback due to its economic consequences. According to the California Department of Transportation, one of these economic effects that is a result of the CEQA is the construction of a transportation project impacting business owners. Therefore, while this law aims to lessen the impact of business on the environment, the economic consequences are of concern to some people.
