Tales of Tenth Grade

This questionable short story is a product of about three existential crises and an ungodly amount of green tea… I also, rather unfortunately, appear to have lost any semblance of creativity lately, so you must excuse whatever mess of words follows this (but please enjoy nonetheless).   It was designed to withstand the tests of time. Harsh, barren; yet not unforgiving. Life teemed within the tundras sheathed in snow, the shrubbery clothed in white powder, the craggy mountains cloaked in the essence of stars. The land radiated a coldness which belied the life within, for sheltered in its rocky heart it cradled the tentative warmth of life. Naught but the wild, the untamed could thrive here, living by the unhindered glow of coruscating stars.  It was a land of hushed beauty, a land of boundless hopes and wild dreams and untamed mystery. Hesitant hues of sparkling snow and glistening ice scattered across its frigid expanse, setting the land awash in shy...

A few weeks ago, there was talk of new rules that would encourage many people to take a big step towards saving the environment. "Throwaway culture" is a term used to describe overwhelming over consumption and the use of short lived/single use products that our society has become accustomed to. The EU wants to get rid of this cycle by enforcing regulations. By providing an incentive, it could encourage manufacturers to make better quality, longer lasting products. More recommendations under their Circular Economy Action Plan are to increase recycled material in products and reduce their impact on the climate. While this is a movement started in Europe, the rest of the world could follow their lead as people push for an end to throwaway culture. However, with the rise of coronavirus, America has taken a step in the opposite direction. The EPA has temporarily stopped the enforcement of many environmental laws. This is disappointing to many environmental activists but unders...

Harsh, inhospitable, barren- this is the landscape which is miraculously home to hundreds upon thousands of chinstrap penguins. Defined by the black ‘strap’ beneath their chins (hence their name), these penguins are just one species amidst thousands who are suffering as a result of climate change. Due to how isolated the island is where chinstrap penguins nest (Elephant Island), the last census conducted was in 1971, when 123,000 nests were recorded. Yet the most recent survey found less than half this number, with no trace as to where the rest of the penguins could have disappeared to. Strycker, a scientist on the team studying the chinstrap penguins, says this is a 56% decrease in their population. As this was more of a preliminary expedition, the scientists were there only to record the chinstrap penguin population, not determine potential causes for such a steep decline. Nonetheless, scientists have tentatively begun to link this alarming drop to climate change, the very condition ...

     After thinking for several days about a topic that was important to me, I couldn't find a better one than the Earth itself.  It provides us with an atmosphere to live in, spend time with family and friends, enjoy our favorite hobbies, and to just live life at its fullest.  The Earth encompasses everything that is of great importance to me.  But, I fear that our planet is in danger.      The word "wildfire" has been dominating headlines globally over the past few months.  A total of 12.35 million acres have been burned in Australia this year alone, according to Time Scholastic.  Although there can be several good effects from natural occurring wildfires, such as tree reproduction and some animal benefits, these excessive burns have had an overall more negative effect on animals, people, and our planet.      Annually, Australia experiences a "wildfire season" which coincides with their drought period.  Dur...

Our house is on fire. It is crumbling to the ground at an increasingly alarming rate, and if we don't act fast, it will be gone forever. Our house is the Earth. The once shining sea has become a plastic paradise killing all marine life in its path, and the everlasting green rolling foothills are now an oil drilling reservoir for human use. Our home is dying, and what's being done about it? Not much is all I can say. Politicians promise us kids a cleaner and brighter future that we can pass onto our children, but they don't do what they say. "Why ?" you may ask... because it's all about money in their pockets. The people who we elect into office to speak on our behalf lie and cheat their way up to the top. Their lying and manipulation have gotten so out of hand that teens of all ages have risen up to take a stand, one of them being Greta Thunberg. 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden has had enough of the false hope from our politicians. A...