Going to a new school is scary enough. Even more when you have the most weirdest, oddest, and loudest teacher in the whole building. But, my social studies teacher is actually pretty wise. “You see this here?” He asks, pointing to a cardboard box. “If you would bury it, it would be in the ground for two hundred years. But, if you took this plastic grocery bag, it would be in the ground for two thousand years.” Now, granted, whenever he says that I just stick up my nose and go over to my friend and just be like, what kind of crap is that? Then, he said something to me that I just couldn’t get out of my head.

“By 2050, our population will grow to about eight million people. If we are suffering now, how are we going to survive then?”

And when you think about it, you just want to slap yourself across the face, because in reality, he is right. What are we going to do? Everywhere you turn, you heard the word recession thrown around like its just something that happens all the time, like the ice cream truck coming around every Sunday. I wish it was that easy. But I’m only thirteen, so why worry, right? I got all those worry wrinkles to come, so why enhance them? It’s not like every time one turns on the television there is some washed-out celebrity talking about “going green”, right?

WRONG!

We’ve got to worry about stuff like that! What about clean water? Sure there is going to be plenty of water, but how are we supposed to keep it clean? I mean, I haven’t had tap water out of the faucet since, like, second grade! What about jobs?!? This has nothing to do with the supposed “recession” that everyone thinks is going on, this is about our future. The future of the United States. We really aren’t falling apart. We are trying to live with each other so we can put ourselves back together. Which, now Ive never done it before, but I bet that it isn’t like riding a bike. That’s just a guess, though,

Going green is a great way to make things look up. Use the batteries for the full usage. Turn off the water all the way. Don’t let the future scare you, make the future scared OF you. We can be invincible. Don’t live in then past or even in the present, live in the future. Look things up. Its possible.

I can guarantee you that while you are reading this, so is some thirty-four year old teacher saying, “She’s only thirteen, what does she know?” I can also guarantee that I understand a hell of a lot more then he does. But, you know, I’m only thirteen, so why worry?