This past August, Boston Green Academy students Luisney Diaz and Stanasa Dowdye traveled to Kyoto, Japan to join other young adults from 9 cities across the globe for the Kyoto Sister Cities Youth Conference.  Accompanied by Virginia McNally, AP Environmental Science teacher, students met to discuss the future of global environmental issues, including their own presentation on an issue that strikes close to home.

Selected based upon their leadership and excellence in the sciences, Luisney and Stanasa convened with students representing various corners of the world including Cologne, Germany and Paris, France.  For three days, students convened at the Kyoto International Community House at Sakyo Ward, where they discussed numerous global environmental issues and actively problem-solved solutions for future change.

Luisney and Stanasa elaborated on the early development of the Boston Main Drainage System, established in 1884.  Being a major port since 1660, Boston Harbor earned notoriety as the “filthiest harbor in the nation,” with the majority of waste greatly impacting the native aquatic life within the harbor, including striped bass, herring, bluefish, harbor seals, and porpoises.  It was not until legal action was taken against the city of Boston for change to happen in the form of treatment plants.

The presentation spoke to the global issue of efficient and sustainable waste disposal without compromising natural resources and habitats.  Working diligently to reduce their carbon footprint and those of their peers, Luisney and Stanasa proudly represented BGA in this global movement to protect our Earth and to ensure a brighter, “greener” future for all of us.

Tying nicely into their AP Environmental Science class curriculum, Luisney and Stanasa embodied the true meaning of being “green” both in name and action as Boston Green Academy students.