MVHS partnered with FUHSD Sustainability Commission and hosted its first ever Earth Day fair along with Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action on Friday, April 28 in the Student Union and Rally Court. Students gathered to hear presentations from a panel of five speakers, such as Rohan Pandit, the executive director of Silicon Valley Youth Council, and representatives from various organizations, such as Green Industry Leader Delta Electronics, Silicon Valley Clean Energy and the Leading Public agency. 

After the demonstrations, MVHS environmental science organization set up booths where attendees learned about actions the community is taking to fight climate change. 

The main organizer for this event, junior and FUHSD Sustainability Commission representative Iniyaa Suresh, says the event was a step in the right direction to make the district more environmentally conscious and spread awareness throughout the student body. Suresh believes holding events encourages students to get involved in sustainability efforts and educates the community about climate change. 

Pandit agrees and says youth can make the most difference in the upcoming years since climate change will affect them the most. 

“You don’t think, as a high schooler, you can even make an impact,” Pandit said. “What you don’t realize is that getting exposure early, with an event like this can help you start thinking about these issues earlier, as opposed to four years down the line.”

According to Pandit, students often feel that they have to be in a specific organization in order to contribute to the fight against climate change. 

“I think the biggest point of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action is to bridge the gap,” Pandit said. “Everyone is needed. I think there’s a lot of youth climate organizations right now that are doing good work, but we all don’t communicate with one another. [Our] goal is to get the word out there and create a political force so that we could go to the city of San Jose and tell them what needs to be done.”