Speaking to classrooms across America in a live virtual event, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy presses for school children to take EPA’s Energy Star climate pledge to “become part of the climate solution.” McCarthy: “Get those pledges in. Work with your schools. Work with your community. Bug your family at home to recycle and do all the great things.”
When asked by a student what careers to consider if they’re interested in protecting the environment, McCarthy says: “Come work at EPA… If you like numbers, we always have room for you, cause how do you think we do all that accounting to figure out what your carbon footprint is? We have lots of people working here that do that type of work.”
EPA ADMINISTRATOR GINA MCCARTHY: “There is so much you can do to become part of the climate solution.”
HOST KYLE SCHUTT: “What’s your favorite part about the pledge and what young people are doing?”
MCCARTHY: “I think the greatest part about the pledge for young people, and when old people take it cause we’ve had 4.3 million people take this pledge already, and we want you to take it too.”
SCHUTT: “That’s a big number. That’s a lot of people.”
MCCARTHY: “Well, that’s because we need everybody… It’s not just about light bulbs. It’s about appliances. It’s about riding your bike instead of riding in a car. It’s about what kind of car you drive. Can you buy one that’s more efficient? Can you use renewable resources in that car, like ethanol? There’s lots of choices that you can make that actually lower that footprint, and you’ll never miss it.”
STUDENT: “What is being done to make schools and homes more environmentally friendly?”
MCCARTHY: “Well, Madison, that’s a great question cause it means you’re not just paying attention but you actually want to be part of the solution. And, it’s really important cause we need to hear kids voices cause it’s your world, and you’re going to be the stewards of that world coming up. Now there’s lots of things you can do. At your school you can pull together a green team or environmental club. We’ve seen it in lots of schools where people go around and check out their schools, see where there’s inefficiencies, make suggestions to the principle and to the school boards on how you can get more efficient. See if you can talk to your utility and get some solar panels on the school so you can teach kids about renewable energy and save yourself money. […] I am so happy that classrooms all across the U.S. are like watching, cause it helps us get the message out. So, get those pledges in. Work with your schools. Work with your community. Bug your family at home to recycle and do all the great things.” […]
STUDENT: “Administrator McCarthy, what are some careers that kids could consider if they’re interested in working with energy or protecting the environment through saving energy?”
MCCARTHY: “Well, there’s lots of choices. Come work at EPA. That would be really good, cause we’re great people here who love to do this kind of work. […] You could come and do economic work. If you like numbers, we always have room for you cause how do you think we do all that accounting to see what your carbon footprint is? We have lots of people working here that do that type of work.”
National ENERGY STAR Day – Live Virtual Event
Discovery Education
October 27, 2015
