Another busy school day has passed by as freshman Astrid Code heads home for the day. She starts on her extensive homework as a news headline appears on the TV. It’s an issue Code is all too familiar with: climate change. Even though it’s an issue she cares deeply about, instead of watching, she moves on to beginning her homework. Why? Because she knows the same old lines about climate change are about to be repeated yet again, but without any real commitment to change.  

Code is a passionate environmentalist always striving to do her part to help out in any way, yet she still worries for the planet. Code worries not only for the Earth, but for the beings that make up the population. “I feel like global warming is something that is talked about a lot, but not much is being done. Soon, it will be too late to keep putting off this problem for future generations. We are already seeing the effects of our inactivity,” she says.

Code believes that her concern and passion about climate change has always been there, but she was given a more unique perspective when she lived in Norway for 8 months. When living there, she saw first hand how differently large issues like climate change and bettering the environment are handled. For her, the difference was shocking. “In Norway and Scandinavia in general, there is more of an outside culture, a culture to bike or walk to work or school, a culture to use public transport,” she says.

In Norway, there are specific bins for different kinds of recycling and many buildings dedicated solely to recycling or sorting. Doing outdoor activities is highly encouraged, and school students don’t have just one recess: they have three. During her time in Norway, Not Code able to participate in simply taking care of the environment in addition to being able to go on a field trip to a recycling plant and see the process in action.

It was when she came back home to the States that she realized how incredibly different the controversial topic of climate change was handled and discussed. “It’s really different, there’s much less of a healthy culture, less outdoors. I feel like America is more into technology and improvements and winning and being the best,” she says.

Someone who feels the same way as Code is her sister, Mai Elise Code. “I think we are greatly underestimating the danger of climate change and that we need to do more to stop it,” she says.

Code wants other people to know how important doing their part is. “People think even if they do small things it won’t make a difference and since most people have this mindset, nothing changes, but every small thing counts.”

Code believes that there should be more and more people working to achieve making the Earth a healthier planet. Someone Code would want to talk to about the issue would be the President.  “I would tell him that global warming is not an issue that can be dismissed or put off, because it’s affecting our lives right now, everyday, and will just get harder to stop the longer we wait,” she says. Another person in Code’s family who feels strongly about the importance of change is her mom Karin Code. “Climate change is affecting every human on earth. It is the most important political issue of our time. Policies must adapt because we cannot leave this apocalyptic legacy to our children and grandchildren,” she says.

Code wants to set an example and show others how to live more sustainably.  “You might not think that you can make a difference with one piece of paper, and you would be right. But when you recycle that one piece of paper, you can influence other people and create a change in culture, that will make other people recycle.” One of Code’s biggest wishes is for a better Earth and to stop worrying about the future environment of the planet. A lot of people talk the talk, but Astrid Code is also walking the walk.