Letters to the Future: Celebrating Earth Day 2020 as we plan for the next 50 years
Dear ’Canes Class of 2070, By the time you read this, I may or may not be alive. If I am, I will be 96 years old. That’s a long time for a human body to withstand the barrage of forces beating their way to the core. Like soapstone in a sandstorm, I have braced against toxic inhalants, ultraviolet carcinogens, microbe-infested waters, and chemical-rich produce. I break down over time, my pitted remains leaving clues for you to observe or ignore. Which will you choose? It’s hard to be one small, round marble in a barrel of monkeys. A lone tadpole swimming upstream. Sure, there are a few other tadpoles beside me, nudging the turtles and seahorses along. They inspire me to eat local, bring reusable bags to the store, buy a Tesla. You, too, will do what you can. And if it isn’t enough, you’ll get pulled into the undercurrent. You’ll learn how to survive in extreme conditions. No matter how hard you try, you cannot spin the Earth backwards. You cannot erase the tawdry tattoos your ancestors beveled in a drunken stupor. But I have faith in your survival instinct. I trust your cerebral craftsmanship. You’re ’Canes, after all, imbued with the spirit of resilience and cut from a proud lineage of seahorses, turtles, tadpoles, and ibises. You will find a way to march on. Happy Earth Day 2070, Meredith Camel, M.F.A. ’12 Executive Director, University Communications
Dear 2070 Miami students, I am Sydney Grahek, a future Miami student myself. I hope to start my journey this summer at the Shark Research Facility and go on to enroll at the University of Miami in fall of 2021. All around me I see students and educators working for our planet. I see teams dedicated to cleanup, education, and conservation. I see social media platforms advocating the Earth’s cause. But sadly, I also see our economy and our leaders failing us. In our country environmental protections are loosing power due to those in power. Big businesses claim that sustainability will hurt our economy while they ignore the climate change will hurt us in every way possible. Along with my peers I am fighting to make our voices heard and to protect our planet. I hope that by 2070 the world is focused not on greed, but on giving and sustainability. See you in 2070. -Sydney
To a Cane of 2070, My name is Veronika Seider, originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, and a 21 year old junior at UM. I’m majoring in International Studies and French, and minoring in Ecosystem Science & Policy, Public Health, and Journalism - all in the hopes of learning how to contribute something to the world and to make the future, your reality, a better place. In 2020, climate change is accelerating and the consequences are becoming more and more disastrous. The youth is motivated to make a change, but there seems to be a disconnect with policy. For example, on our campus alone you see so many activists and initiatives aimed towards sustainability yet our school still invests in fossil fuel companies. The degradation of our planet’s resources is still highly profitable and stakeholders are not willing to do right by the Earth. There is still rhetoric that climate change doesn’t exist, all the while climate change refugees flee their sinking cities, rainforests burns, ice caps melt, natural disasters accelerate, and so much more. Today is the 50th Earth Day. I’m writing this letter to encourage change and inspire hope. I believe that my generation, and the generations to come, will continue fighting for you. I want to believe that the world will come together and that we will stop extracting resources, stop burning fossil fuels, rely less on meat, stop polluting, stop the mass production and consumption cycle, mediate global inequality, and all the other issues that contribute to climate change. I want to believe that we will invest in sustainable energies, protect our species, save our natural resources, recycle and redistribute existing finite resources, and prioritize our planet and our population’s health. It is predicted that Miami will face severe flooding issues by 2050. I hope that precautions on so many levels are taken to avoid this, so that you can experience UMiami the same way I did. Wishing you the best and LYGC, Veronika Seider Class of 2021
Hello Class of 2070, My name is María Gabriela Pacheco. I am 17 years old, almost 18 on June 14th, 2020. I am from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It is a very beautiful country. I hope it looks even better in 50 years, because right now it is not as clean as we would like it to be. I don’t know if you have heard about the coronavirus or Covid-19, but it is a virus that we are living right now. Many people have died because of it. We are all on lockdown and we have to stay home. We can only go out if we have to go to the supermarket and we have to stay within 6 feet from everyone. We have to wear face masks and gloves. During this crisis, the world has gotten cleaner. There is less air pollution, since airplanes, cars and ships are not traveling. Most factories are shut down, so rivers are getting clearer, since they do not get thrown toxic waste daily anymore. This saddens me because it makes me think; this is what had to happen for the Earth to breathe and take a break from pollution. I get mad very often with today’s society, because we all complain about how the world is ending, and how we are all going to die due to pollution and climate change, but we don’t do anything about it. Many people just sit there and complain, while they wait for others’ to do something. If we want to see change, we have to start by doing something for ourselves. Earth Day 2070 is worth celebrating, because right now, the world is not looking so good for 2030, and if you are reading this, it means we did something correctly. It means we decided to be reasonable and start making a change. Be grateful and keep on taking care of the planet, María Pacheco
Hi my name is Sebastian and Im here to conversate about how to make the earth worth celebrating within the year 2070 I am here to type in to you almost how both of us indeed in spite of the fact that we are 50 a long time separated ought to attempt to spare the earth but of course were not doing it alone we'll need cooperation. So what I will attempt to do and what you ought to attempt on the off chance that you're up to it is to motivate individuals and appear that by the time we really see the degree to what were doing it'll be to late and to begin presently but in the event that it falls flat in my time. You may likely be buying yourselves some time. But before I go remember to cherish the earth and enjoy it because if we dont change the day will come when you wont be.
Hello, my name is Victor Rodriguez and im from the Dominican Republic, im a freshman in the International School of Santo Domingo. A big part of the humans who live in mother earth dont care about what happens when you throw trash on the ground, or just cause massive pollution without caring, we the people who acknowledge what mother earth is doing for us, must protect it at all cost and keep picking up trash, and not use manmade machinery. Im writing this to the students of the future to let them know that if the world we live in still stands, please take care of it, some people dont give earth the gratitude it deserves.
Miami University, My name is Andres Taveras I am 13 years old and I from Dominican Republic, the society are doing nothing because are not know, this people likes the parties and make a lot of party, and the trash leave there in the same place. We can make a better planet trying to stop the climate changes.
Hi future people. My name is Luis Arcala and I am 16 years old. I was born in the United States but my parents decided to live here ( DR). In the society that I am actually in, they really don't care that much. We have that typical person that post a lot of story's about fixing the environment and nonsense but when you meet them in real life, they are the opposite of all that. Just don't be that kind of persons who talks a lot an does absolutely nothing. If you are trying to do something, do it, don't start talking before doing what you need to do. I hope this message might help you out a little bit and please, take care of our home. Is the only place we can actually live in. Good luck 🙂
Hello, my name is Bryan Brito, I'm a student from the International School of Santo Domingo and I'm Dominican. Our society is making numerous changes and movements for the goal of ending global warming. But people aren't changing the big factors of global warming, if they did this, global warming will really start to decrease. Some of the bigger factors of global warming are: the factories, cars(everything that uses gas, oil, etc as a fuel), petrol farms, etc. If our society starts to look for new alternatives instead of using these types of mechanism, then climate change can really be ending. What I will do to make Earth Day 2070 to be worth celebrating is trying to adapt my lifestyle to a more eco-friendly one, by doing this, It can become a habit of mine of trying to help the world in the simple ways that I can.
My name is Vicente, I am almost 18 and I am writing this letter from 2020. I am writing this letter depending of which destiny will rain upon us. If by 2070 everything is okay, then this letter has no purpose. But if not, we want to tell you that we are sorry, we are sorry for being so ignorant and for not fighting enough. As a consequence, we left you in a place of calamity. Probably some of us are still alive and are still fighting to the cause. Is probably not too late, so you can still fight, try to be a better generation than us. I currently do not know what name do you guys hold, but make it the best name, and show a lesson to other generations.
Dear students of the University of Miami, My name is Eduardo, I'm eighteen years old, and I live in Dominican Republic. This letter is to explain what is happening currently, beginning 2020 (January-April). A global pandemic has risen exponentially, caused by a virus, originated from Wuhan, China. It has created turmoil around around the world; world governments have declared state of emergency, and promote CDC's and WHO social regulations to flatten the curve and prevent furthermore the rapid spread of the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Because of this virus, It is recommended to stay home quarantined. Social gatherings are prohibited, and it is endorsed that when going outside, to wear face mask, and gloves, a avoid social interaction. in consequences to all the measures taken to prevent spreading, CO2 emissions have lowered exponentially around the world, animals are retaking abandoned habitats due to pollution; not to be funny or anything, but we've got to give prompts to the virus as it has done more than any environmentalist. To describe the situation, the only word that comes to mind is "uncanny". This experience is like no other, and we sure cannot say it is a one life experience, because I think that after this, the chances of it happening again, are very slim, because we'll be better prepared. This letter is in commemoration to the 50th birthday to our beautiful planet. What a better way to celebrate it than everyone staying in their houses, in family, avoiding infection, etc... either way, we're saving ourselves and the planet by doing so. In case you're reading this letter, hope it serves, as an aid,to keep the planet cleaner, even if it had to be this way in 2020, I hope that in 2020, Earth is healthy and cleaner, not because of a virus, but because of human conscience about nature. With much love and appreciation, Eduardo Rosso 🙂
Dear students, I am Angel Miguel de la Cruz Vasquez and I live in the Dominican Republic. You will be reading this letter in 2070 and I want to tell you that at the moment we are going through it has nothing good. the only good thing about this moment about the coronavirus and the curent in the whole world is that the earth is breathing a little and has a rest from us that we are the true disease on earth day of the year 2020 in my school we did some activities and we saw a documentary to raise awareness of what we must do to keep our land in a better state and we also had to analyze what our society does to improve the land. In conclusion I hope you have found something or some method that will cure all the contamination. I am writing this letter to make you aware that your actions affect the world and your next generations. I really don't know what the world will be like in the future, but if we continue on the path we are going on, we will not get very far and although the countries are taking measures, they are not enough for the damage we have caused to this planet. Right now we are facing a pandemic of a virus called coronavirus. many people are dying and we cannot even leave our houses, it is a catastrophe. We have been in quarantine for 1 month and 2 weeks, but not everything that this brings is completely bad. Thanks to this pandemic I realized that there is still hope; hope that steps can still be taken to care for the world. the amount of pollution from most of the countries that are reducing and we can see it even in the photos of the cities, you can no longer see that gray cloud that surrounds the cities. That gave me joy and hope that we still can save earth. Last Wednesday, April 22, Earth Day was celebrated. on that day, give a grain of sand to make people aware of taking care of the earth. I published several campaigns on my social networks to take care of the bread and even if I do not see it as much it is something and I am sure that someone saw it and changed.And to conclude with this letter I want to tell you that to make your Earth Day in 2017 worthwhile, do something that makes you happy and makes you say that you are proud to put your grain of sand. Although it is small, it is important. When you do that I assure you that you will be satisfied with yourself and remember things change when you take action.
I am Alejandro Tejada and I’m seventeen years old. I’m from Dominican Republic, a little island in the caribbean. In today's society climate change is a very bad issue that is affecting all countries and the world as well.Cities lead the way in the climate change response. The villages are a crucial location for threats and resistance, home to the bulk of the global population and source of much of global CO2 emissions. As the bulk of the settlements are on the coastline and oceans, the consequences of climate change such as the rising elevation of the sea and severe storms are especially fragile. But cities also become essential labs for the creation of climate-change adaptation and mitigation approaches, together with versatility of their governments. I am writing this letter to make you aware that your actions affect the world and your next generations. I really don't know what the world will be like in the future, but if we continue on the path we are going on, we will not get very far and although the countries are taking measures, they are not enough for the damage we have caused to this planet. Right now we are facing a pandemic of a virus called coronavirus. many people are dying and we cannot even leave our houses, it is a catastrophe. We have been in quarantine for 1 month and 2 weeks, but not everything that this brings is completely bad. Thanks to this pandemic I realized that there is still hope; hope that steps can still be taken to care for the world. the amount of pollution from most of the countries that are reducing and we can see it even in the photos of the cities, you can no longer see that gray cloud that surrounds the cities. That gave me joy and hope that we still can save earth. Last Wednesday, April 22, Earth Day was celebrated. on that day, give a grain of sand to make people aware of taking care of the earth. I published several campaigns on my social networks to take care of the bread and even if I do not see it as much it is something and I am sure that someone saw it and changed.And to conclude with this letter I want to tell you that to make your Earth Day in 2017 worthwhile, do something that makes you happy and makes you say that you are proud to put your grain of sand. Although it is small, it is important. When you do that I assure you that you will be satisfied with yourself and remember things change when you take action.
My name is Jonathan Raskauskas. I am 21 years old, a junior at University of Miami, and from Naples, FL. The most prominent voice for climate change currently is Greta Thunberg, yet many people criticize her because she is speaking of a "hot" topic at a young age. As with all "hot" topics, people on both sides are arguing either which way and failing to persuade anyone while making a fool out of themselves. The issue is climate change, rising seas, polluted air, dying breeds, and most importantly unproductive dialogue. For there to be any success in quelling the dangers of climate change you must have conversations with your peers about climate change. The first step to do this is if you see something that doesn't align with your political/moral compass, say something instead of waiting for the moment to pass. Be active while fighting for your dreams instead of letting them slip. Just a final note, I am in quarantine right now. I am not pointing fingers at any one country because we are all humans and are facing the same nasty virus. Make sure to protect Planet Earth, and equally important, protect your fellow humans. P.S. I hope that Tom Brady is still the GOAT
April 24th, 2020. Dear Future Student, My name is Maia Martinez. I was born in a small island located in the Caribbean, La Hispaniola (if you want it brief, Dominican Republic). Currently I am fifteen years old and finishing 10th Grade at the International School of Santo Domingo. Right in this moment we are living inside, what I would call, a "movie." A virus with the name of COVID19 has emerged in Wuhan, China and has become a pandemic. The entire world is in quarantine (we have been taking classes online for one month and a few days without leaving home). Suddenly the Earth is healing from all the damage we have created. I don't think it would be right if after this pandemic has ended we continue in the same way as before. If climate change has really improved, why couldn't we continue to take care of our only home, the Earth? I am writing this letter to you as a gift, a relic, to celebrate Earth Day 2070. Remember that many people are missing to do what you and I have done: admire, enjoy, savor... Live in a healthy place with extraordinary places to visit. Teach others how good it is to have initiative, remember that every little action counts. You have eyes to admire your surroundings, ears to listen to the sound of birds and a voice to make you listen. I wish you luck in everything you do. Warm regards, Maia Martinez.
Dear students of the University of Miami in 2070, my name is Josemaria Acosta and I am currently 17 years old and I am from an island in the Caribbean called the Dominican Republic. It is currently 2020, which means you should be reading this in about 50 years from this time. Sadly for us, these recent and upcoming years are going to be really important for the development of the earth climate and if we are going to be able to live in this planet if we continue to contaminate the planet. Right now, I can only speak for what I see in my community, therefore, I would like you to read and understand for yourselves what was it like 50 years ago. We usually see a lot of trash thrown in the streets, usually plastic products like bottled water and plastic supermarket bags. The mass production of products does not help the environment due to the fossil fuels that need to be burned to produce such products. Cars are starting to become hybrids be using gasoline and electricity but, the majority use gasoline to be powered up. In conclusion, I hope this anecdote seems mind blowing for all of you and that my our situation now is not currently the one in which you live. I hope this can lend you some help in recognising how lucky you are to be well, alive and hopefully in a better state than us. Remember to always take care for nature everywhere you go because this is our only home and we would love to share it with future generations. regards, Josemaria Acosta
My name is Krisveida. I am 16 years old and I'm from the Dominican Republic. Our society isn't responding to the environmental problems the way it should. We are working, we are trying to fix the problem but yet we are not doing enough and we do not want to believe so. I'm writing this letter because I believe that if we keep the way we are next generations are not going to have it "easy".
Dear Future Students, when you begin reading this, it will be the year 2070 and will be; Dear present students. This letter is about what society was in 2020, to be more precisely during the outbreak of coronavirus. Myself (Guillermo) is in a house-quarantine like all people should. For the purpose of letting the virus stop spreading. This outbreak caused many negative things, but on the positive side, there was less pollution during this period. Speaking about pollution, I want to apologize for what this generation did to the world, deforestation and the extinction of many animals and places is something you students can blame us. I’m truly sorry.
Hello 2070, I dont know how the world is going to be but if has improved, good keep doing it but if isn't please do you dont have another home take care of it.
Dear student of 2070, My name is Ben, and I am a freshman at the University of Miami, as of 2020. I want to tell you about the past in order to give you hope for the future. In 2020, climate change is here. Its something we know about and its something everyone has heard of. We have groups taking action and we have groups making denials. Despite the conflict of opinion, we have made progressions in a positive direction. If in the year 2070 the prospects for the future of the world look bleak, think of the progress that has been made. Celebrate Earth Day for those who made strides in the face of opposition and celebrate Earth Day for those in the future who will thank you.
Hi, as you might already know, my name is Emilio, I'm 16 years old and I live in the Dominican Republic. As I see it right now, there are people that are actually trying to make a change, but the vast majority is really focused on winning money and helping industries that kills our environment grow. The good thing is that the amount of conscience in the environmental problem at hand is growing, which is a great thing because more and more people are changing their way of living and adapting a more eco-friendly way of living. I really hope that by 2070 this entire problem is solve and everyone has adapted a eco-friendly way of living. For now what I do is go to poor neighborhoods and tell them about the problem climate change is for everyone, as well as applying my knowledge at my home as best as possible.
Dear future students, my name is Gabriela Acra, I'm 16 years old and I live in the Dominican Republic. As for now our earth is passing through a global pandemic (COVID-19) which many people around the world are dying due to this, as for the positive side our earth is breathing, ducks in Venice are coming back, the sky is more blue and families are together. Hope you are good and please take care of our earth- Sincerely, Gabriela Acra. 2020
Hi, I am Miguel Hernández from the Dominican Republic, I am 17 today, I study at International School of Santo Domingo. In today'a society, I see how greenhouse gases increase, I see how human activity is the cause of that increase. Then I see the world splitted in groups, those who believe in climate change and those who don't. In those who believe, there is a small group that helps and a big one with people that don't do anything and people that think there are doing a change. Today, I see people that think they are helping when they spend their time blaming it on others and posting pictures in social media waiting for the world to change. I am writing to you to I want to do a change and want you to look for ideas too. Summarizing in one phrase: You can't change the world while seating in the couch.
Dear future students, My name is Maria Pena and currently I am 17 years old. I am a senior in high school in the Dominican Republic, were I was born and raised. We have been going through a global pandemic of Covid-19 and we have to stay in our homes until its over. It has been really hard for all of the seniors because it was out last year of highschool and we wanted to enjoy it. But we have to be aware of all of the people that are dying or being infected by the coronavirus (Covid-19). I hope that this pandemic will last less than the other well known pandemics. The Earth right now might be different in 50 years, so let me tell you what the Earth looks like now. We have beautifull landscapes of mountains, forest, rivers, beaches, coral reefs, etc... But because of human actions we have been at the worst point in history of climate change/ global warming and this is threatening animal species and those beautiful landscapes I mentioned before. Currently, we are facing the past actions that the old generations have made. Old generations are not doing much to change our current situation but millenials and generation Z (my generation) are well aware of what is happening and that we need to stop it. I hope that all of our efforts were worth it and that we have reduced climate change/ global warming for future generations. Sadly, if that is not the case, I am so sorry for what past generations have done to our home, the Earth. I am sorry that your generations will have to fix what was done in the past. Nonetheless, we will do everything that is in our hands to take care of the Earth and return it to its original state so you can celebrate Earth day 2070 the correct way, appreciating all of the beautiful species and landscaped that exist. Greating form the Dominican Republic! (April, 2020)
Hello, my name is Paty Acra, I am 14 years old, from the Dominican Republic. What I’m living right now is the generation that is doing something to start taking care of the environment. It’s not enough... but we have to start somewhere. I’m writing to you from quarantine time (corona virus) and this is where we are starting to see progress... since everything has stopped working (cars, stores, factories) and this is giving us time to stay home and let the earth be earth. In the Dominican Republic the process is slow, but I can see in my generation that there is awareness and movement to start something that can give you the planet that you deserve. They asked me for this letter to respond the question to “why is earth day on 2070 be worth of celebrating and what are you going to do” my answer is: we have started something now, with protest, voluntary groups, quarantine... that we aren’t stopping now... all of this hard work and sacrifices will be the celebration of Earth day 2070. If we still have an earth at least with the same nature as now... I will be celebrating on my own. We won’t give up.
I go by the name of Kevin Paul, I am 15 years of age, and I was born in Mexico but I currently live in the Dominican Republic. In my perspective and point of view I find quite interesting how different countries, states, cities, and communities react differently according to the series of events seen by the effects of environmental degradation and climate change. In first hand, knowing that environmental degradation is the deterioration of an environment, in response to this issue the Dominican Republic have taken a variety of steps, the most noticeable one was the implementation of environmental education in private and public schools study plans which helped to raise consciousness in young minds, the ministry of environment and natural resources in the Dominican Republic have also applied a series of green belts in strategic placement in territories which form part of important ecosystems and abstain corporations and others to harm, destroy or build in this specific piece of land. Following my thoughts, climate change is taken as a serious threat since we are located in the heart of the Caribbean and can be vulnerable to a variety of consequences caused by climate change including extreme precipitations, floods, etc… The Dominican Republic has agreed to the Paris Agreement which is part of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations initiative towards climate change, this agreement was made looking forward to dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance. I wrote this letter to ensure the next generations of the year 2070 that guidelines will be followed and that people's care for the planet will increase immensely, the main goal it's not to warn people on Earth Day to take care of it, but to celebrate the Earth Day and be happy about the fact that the Earth is healthy and it isn't suffering any risks caused by us humans.
The last decade was amazing, new technologies were invented and new goals were achieved but that does not mean this generations have no problems to face. The most important issue that we, humans, have developed over the past years is Climate Change. How did this happened? Well everybody contributed because all human activity creates co2 which is basically what accumulates in the atmosphere , changing the temperature of our planet . The way we live, think and act is the only thing that can change this problem. I want future generation to see how wonderful our earth is, to enjoy the feeling of breath a clean air, to feel free in their planet. That is why I would try everything I can to raise awareness. I really want to be part of the change and if the earth is recovered and the problem of climate change is getting solve from now to 2070 we need to celebrate it.
Dear Unknown Person Hi, I’m Ana Sofia with just one “n”, I’m seventeen years old although, it is 2020, so by the time you read this I’ll be much older, I’m studying at the International School of Santo Domingo. And you might be aware of what it is happening, this is probably history by know. I can’t really describe this situation without using bad words and I don’t think my teacher would allow that but you have probably already thought about it, and if you have no idea of what am I talking about then you really didn’t pay attention in high school. COVID-19 let me tell you, IT… IS… REAL… these are crazy times for all of us, people are scared and I’m sitting in my room counting the days of quarantine, we have been in for more than a month now. You know… is not that bad and yeah, a lot of people are dying every day and we still don’t have a cure, but when you look outside you don’t see sick people or dead bodies, all you can see is a clear sky shining into a beautiful day and it is the first time I’ve seen something like it. You see I’m not writing this to talk about COVID-19, I’m writing to tell you that after all those years the Earth is finally taking a break and cashing its breath, a break from fighting against us, fighting pollution, deforestation and it is just so so so beautiful that sometimes I don’t even want this to end. From: the girl you just met.
Lovely future students; My name it's Andrea, I'm 17 years old and I am from Venezuela, but currently living in Dominican Republic. We are passing through a lot of things right now, like the Covid-19, a virus that is really contagious and have taken a lot of lives away, we are in quarantine and we are not close to the people we love the most. Not eveything is bad, the animals are coming back to places they haven't been in a lot of time and we are creating a bonding between all the people we know, and the ones we not know too. I want you to close your eyes and think of the most beautiful places that you have seen, think of your favorite animals and plants, after you do this, think of all the ways you can do this place better, maybe more animals?, more plants?, it depends in you if you want to make it better or not, you can even ask for help if you want, I have always think that we can do things better if we are all together. You can do all those things now, you have the power to make such wonderful things, and I believe that you can do more than what we did. I wish you the best luck and I hope you make this world better. See you on the future.
Hello, my name is Emily Nishio Acosta. Today is April 22, 2020, and I'm 17 years old. I'm from the Dominican Republic, but I have Japanese descent. I study at the International School of Santo Domingo, and it is one of the reasons why I am writing this letter. In my society, there are a lot of political problems with corruption. The president of my country is Danilo Medina, but we do not know when the next elections will be due to the virus crown. The United States president is Donald Trump. Currently, as I said the government is corrupt with some laws, it does not take into account environmental laws. Many conscious people have tried as much as possible to recycle the plastics, go to the market or the organic supermarket to buy since the food does not come packed in plastics, we have made campaigns to collect, and reduce garbage on the beaches and in the city. Some people are aware, but we need everyone to join the cause. I am writing to tell you that the time is now, and that word is equivalent to everything. Now it is that we have to act, now it is that we have to inform ourselves, now it is that we have to...? And if it is 2070, and it has not happened yet, you are not late. Last but not least, live your life to the fullest with those who you love, you never know when that can change.
I’m going to start by saying the earth is the only place to leave, so it is very important for everyone to take care of it and to protect it at all cost because we don’t have anywhere to go.
Hi guys from the 2070 my name is Esthela Rosarioi have 18 years old and i'm from Dominican Republic. I'm writing this lettler to you just only to ask you somenthing... if i'm not in this world anymore, please keep taking care of my planet, our world, the only one we have, our home. I want my children, my grandchildren and their generation that follows, to be able to enjoy the world and its beauty, since all that remains we are responsible for its continued flowering and that it never loses the essence of what it is today, I would like to that they always have clear what they want and how they want to achieve it, be people who become examples to follow and become leaders of what they are passionate about, I hope that we all continue to enjoy the beauties that life brings us.
Dear students of University of Miami, Hello my name is Fernanda Oneil, I'm seventeen (17) years old, and I'm from Dominican Republic. Today 22 April, 2020 is Earth day, right now many things are going, we're in qurantine due to Covid-19, this pandemic has affected every important aspact of our society but not one, climate. Everything is "back to normal" in nature, species going back to their habitads and it is precious. Our society especially Millenials and us Gen z we are fighting hard to maintain our legacy, often the previous generations do not understand our cause. Marchs, parades, social media campaing, school projects, cleaning beaches everything has been done, but this matter it's not only in our hands, we make our part by changing our consumer habits like buy second-handed clothes, having water bottles and avoiding one-use plastic, reusing and recycling places have been stated. We understand that this matter is something to be taken seriously because is happening now, and the only ones affected are us and future generations. We have many activists who have standed up for this cause such like Greta Thunberg, a young lady that has refered to important personalities of our today society. I'm writting to you, whoever reads this letter, that it is worth it, I suppose things are going to be different know and maybe my children and their children will be able to see it, and not reading off a book, I hope that after this terrible time we have learnt that things need to change for our better, and we still maintain our own rules, when I mean our own rules, no more plastic straws, bottles containeer or one use plastic. I hope that today you can celebrate Earth day! I also hope that things for us have gone well and we have understaded that there is no "plan B". To conclude, I wish you the best in every aspect, and hope things are going well for the whole world. Best wishes, Fernanda Oneil.
Dear future students, my name is Ismael Koichi Satake Matsunaga, I was born in the Dominican Republic, on Santo Domingo, I am 15 years old, and the situation with the earth these days are that we have a lot of pollution and a lot of contamination lately. Our rivers and oceans are full of plastics and wastes that we put in there and it is affecting our people. Of course the situation that we are confronting these days could end with our earth, it is estimated that the earth will not be a place suitable for living in the next 10 years (by 2030) and my plan in order to make a change and make the earth day worth celebrating is that my family and me will start to stop using plastic, and if we are using it, try to reuse it as many times as possible.
I am Axel, I’m 15 years old and I’m from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I study at International School of Santo Domingo. My school focuses a lot in saving the environment and more at these times were global warming is the main environmental issue. We have lots of ideas on how to prevent damaging the Earth, the problem is putting them into practice. I am writing this letter to you because the situation in which we are living right now is not a good one. Earth is getting damaged. Of course, if you are reading this letter, it’s because we find a way to solve all the problems that involve pollution and warming and because we find a way to make your lives a better one compared to us’.
April 22, 2020 Dear students, Hello students from 2070! My name is Manuel Pacheco, I'm a student at International School of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. I am 16 years old or by the time you're reading this letter I should be around 67 years old or so. I am writing this letter to you to let you know what is happening now in the year 2020. Currently we're quarantined due to the pandemic outbreak of the Covid-19. Months before this pandemic, the planet earth was not going through its best, due to us humans abusing of natural resources and polluting the atmosphere. There were huge fires everywhere in the world covering fractions of countries, for example, the Amazon forest almost burned down completely, and a massive area of Australia's north was burned down due to climate change. Now that we are quarantined, studies have shown that the world started "healing" as you would say, right after us humans were prohibited to leave out homes and continue industrial work. Even things like tossing out trash in the streets are not possible, and the earth is thankful for it. We've treated earth unjustly and need to stop continuing with these acts that are causing severe damages to earth's atmosphere. Not just for us, but for you. If you're reading this, it means that it wasn't too late, it wasn't too late to save earth. And hope you won't commit the same mistakes we have to cause chaos on earth. Sincerely, Manuel
I remember everything was really different when I was 5 years old. The parks featured many trees, the houses had lovely gardens. To cleanse the skin we now use towels covered in mineral oil. Before, all women were wearing their lovely hair. We now have to shave our heads to keep it clean, without water. My dad used to wash the car with a stream of hose before. He is only going to one location today for the robots to do the job for him. I remember there were a lot of commercials saying TAKE CARE OF WATER, without anyone taking them into consideration; we figured the water might never run out. All the rivers, lakes, and lagoons are now irreversibly polluted or drained. Clothes are disposable, greatly increasing the amount of garbage The population's appearance today is appalling; emaciated bodies, wrinkled by pollution, full of sores from uv rays on the skin that no longer have the ozone layer filtered into the atmosphere, vast deserts and the environment that surrounds us everywhere. Major causes of death include respiratory infections, skin and urinary tract diseases. The economy is paralysed, and there is dramatic unemployment. Desalination plants are the main source of jobs and they pay you, instead of cash, with clean water. On barren streets today, assaults over a glass of water are typical issues. The food is organic at 80%. So I hope that you, in your present, which for us is the future, are a mature population and aware of the damage we cause to the earth and that you act in such a way that your actions do not affect what is YOUR EARTH.
Hello future! My name is Lanna and I am 14 years old. I live in the beautiful island Dominican Republic. I am here to express how our society is rapidly responding to all our bad encironmental actions and how we can collaborate to stop them! Climate change has never been a topic people really pay attention to. They rather see sports news, or politic news. Our world is giving us claiming signs for our help. Our actions have commanded the lack of resources oye planet earth once had, and now its extincting. We need to make our actions NOW by being the change we want to see later in our future! Animals are dying due to mostly air pollution or chocking with plastic on the sea. People have been recently in a few past years contributed for a change, a change that is slowly making a difference in our world and is helping concern to people. We need to always celebrate our home earth day because we need to be proud that we have a planet that we live in and that without it, we wouldn't even have ever existed. Thanks!
Hello, my name is Amelie - Marie Abreu Martire. I am proudly to say that I live in the Dominican Republic . I am currently 14 years old. Right now, in 2020 many things had happen which is really sad for ex: we are living the COVID - 19 ( which is a virus that you can transmitted to others and others can transmit it to you ) is basically a sequence. Plus, the earth already had problems. In Australia the past month was being on fire because of the climate change ( animals died, so did humans.) In addition , that the government ( U. S ) is having problems with other countries and people are speculating that maybe there would be a 4 th World war. It's really scary because there are already a lot of people dying because of this virus and on top of that a war? I honestly think dear future reader that the future would be a good place to live in and , to not be scared to go outside and be contaminated and others. I hope that maybe that future humanity take care of the earth so that you don't have to live what we are living. Because we make actions and the earth reacts to those actions. I am writing to you future readers to alert you guys to know that the earth is crying for help and that we need to stop and take big decisions that would maybe affect us and others. Because tye,we would live as speculated in a contaminated environmet. Sincerely, Amelie - Marie Abreu
Hey, my name is Erik, I am 15 years old, I am from Dominican Republic. We have done a lot of damage to the earth, the production of carbon dioxide is just too much. Now we are in a pandemic, which has let the earth heal all the damage we made. I hope that after this pandemic, every person start taking action to save the earth. I hope that in 2070 the Earth be completely healed, please dont make the mistakes he have done, take care of your planet.
Hello I am Guillermo Baldrich and I am from Dominican Republic. Here in DR the society is responding to environmental degradation in a good way because we are making campaigns against plastic because plastic must be stop doing. With climate change we are also making campaings to help the environment. For making their 2070 Earth Day just keep fighting against plastic and climate change.
Hi, my name is Luc Blanchard, im a student from the international School of Santo Domingo, im 15 years old, and im from the Dominican Republic. How my society is being affected by global change of climate, basically of what's happening in this era which the Covid - 19(Coronavirus) is affecting the whole world epidemically and everyone is staying at home taking online classes. This is a new opportunity to clear out what's starting with the climate change and end it, most of the animals are all walking around the city because nobody is, waters are clearing out, and no much of fuel is being use. For this Earth day new hopes will come and im writing this letter because I want people to see what happen to are world in years.
Hello person from the future, my name is Lisa, I am a student at the international school of santo domingo, I am currently 14 and a half years old. Today I come to talk about how my society is responding to environmental degradation and climate change. I cro that for now I don't like them so much they are realizing it because in my society they don't really realize the problem so big that it is happening, obviously there are people who are responding to these types of problems and maybe they don't even care because now that is not affecting them but in some future I do not know if yours, if society is already dependent on these problems since in my case it will be affecting my future since some animals will be extinct, I do not know if there will be water with all this amount of garbage but yes, these problems affect any thing since I do not know if in the future I will have a future or a future to give to my children from the future. I write this because maybe you did not know that this was happening or is even happening, so that the world realizes what we are going through and take action.
Dear Future Students, Firstly, here I present myself as Eimy Santos a 17-year-old teenager born and raised in the beautiful Dominican Republic, if you are reading this definitely many decades have passed and you are now own your way to start your life. Secondly, I would now wish to talk to you just a bit about this surely weird time we are all living, this tuesday is like no other I have ever witnessed since there is whole pandemic (Covid-19) going on, everyone I know not only in the DR but in the entire world is now in quarantine at their houses being unable to socially with others or nature, not only that but this has completely changed the lives of millions of us since graduations, proms, trips and all activities have been cancelled however, this letter is not a sad one in fact I’m here today to tell you that there is still so many incredible things out there and we will always fight to maintain them, against all big corporations and governments today we do our best to save our environment, plastic and other harmful materials are being use less each day, less trash is being produced and thrown to natural habitats, less animals are being killed and each day we try our best to protect all beings on this beautiful place we have as home. In this instant I celebrate Earth Day because even though I’m unable to appreciate properly the beauties of nature I know we are taking care of them and soon I’m gonna be able to live life at the fullest because time doesn't come back and you never know when it can be taken away from you. I exhort you that whenever is that you read this letter, please you must continue to do your part on protecting the planet it may sound silly but we are all in this together and the act of one person in the other side of the world affects you just like your actions affect them. Today is a day to celebrate, to celebrate life and all the wonderful surprises it has store for you, everyday is worth celebrating. With love, Eimy A. Santos M.
Hello! My name is Maria Gabriela Hernandez Mendez! Currently, I am 14 years old, and I come from Dominican Republic, a small island in the Caribbean. I hope everyone is staying safe in the future (which is your present). As of 2020, the Earth is going through a global pandemic; Corona virus. This virus is paying for the death of many people, which is sad, but we must stay strong. I hope that in the future, we are not only healthier, but also that we're also taking care of our Earth. Before the situation, the world was in such a vulnerable state, and I hope that after this is done, we get to understand the importance of our home. The Earth is extremely special, I don't think we understand that yet, and the fact that people keep sacrificing our planet for money and goods. just gets me so mad. I wish that people in the future understand that. I am writing you to teach you not to make the same mistake as we did, please take care of our Earth, please be considerate of the planet. I hope that we learn how to appreciate our home someday. Thank you for reading. -Citizens of 2020.
Dear Reader, Hey there, I'm Alberto Batista Romero, a 14 year old living in the Dominican Republic currently assiting the International School of Santo Domingo, I'm writing to you for the purpose ofletting you see the past, so here goes. Currently, theworld is in a very dire state, climate change and pollution has been halted a bit as the world is holed up in their homes due to a new pandemic, Covid-19, I don't really know if it's that bad though, as thanks to it, many political disputes around theworld are being forgotten, crime rates have gone down due to less people out of their house, along with the previously mentioned pollution, although I can't say it's a co pletely good thing, as it is also a very deadly virus even if treated correctly, humanity is facing a massive issue, and for you this all may be history, but to us it's merely the beginning, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll be reading this from the comodity of a park bench, as humaniy is noe doing it's best efforts to confront our situation, doctors around the world working together to find a cure for the disease, hospitals housing and caring for thousands of infected, risking their own well being for the sake of others, and it is only us who can make that change, being careful to not get infected, have the proper hygiene, or atleast not infect others, butapartfrom allof this, we are allworking towards one goal, to make the earth better, even through the crisis we are currently facing, many people are still conributing to the earth more than ever, takingcare of our environment, especially now that littering has been halted, it iso oy us who can make the change, and if we succeed, then that's the reason you're able to even read this letter. Thank you for reading this letter.
My name is Jeremy Jimenez Santos, I am 17 year old and I am from Dominican Republic. Being honest the goverment of my country is not responding to environmental degradation and climate change but the are some people that are doing something. An example is that they are people that are not using plastic and they are trying to substitute those plastic with green product, also here are some business that sell green product and the same persons that have those business organize beach and community clean up. In Earth Day 2070, I will do my best to make my life greener.
Hi! my name is Emily Gabriela Acuña Hernandez, I am 13 years old and I was born in Venezuela. Our society's respond to environmental degradation and climate change is not the best, we are basically not doing anything about it. Now that we are going through the COVID-19 pandemic we are finally giving the earth a little break but not completely. Our actions towards climate change and environmental degradation is really little/ not enough to help the planet, and some presidents don't even think its the big deal so they ignore everything and continue producing plastic. I am writing this letter to let you know I will do everything possible to have a green world, I would love to open a recycling company or even a store to buy reusable things. I have all ready started my green journey with the help of my parents, we have solar panels, a water filter, thermos, metal straws and we try to eat at home healthy and not packaged food.
My name is Nelson De Los Santos, I am 14 years old as if the year 2020 and I am from the Dominican Republic. I just want to tell you that the earth is celebating its day tomorrow. A big factor that society is facing to climate change for example continents are having other weather that is not usual.
Dear Future Student: My name is Marcos, I am 16 years old and I am Cuban. From 2020 I am writing this letter, and what a year this has been. I wonder if in the future this year will be remembered as an important date, "the last great plague" perhaps. Anyway, I did not come to imagine the future history of the world, but to tell the present of it. As I write these words it is impossible for me not to be curious. In the future, the world will be better? Will the planet be healthier? Will people be different, more responsible? It would be a rather sad vision to be the opposite; it means that man has not learned about self-control. Nowadays, and since years ago, the planet has entered an environmental decline, that it could go back to the industrial revolution, but the impact has been seen with greater clarity in the current years. The global warming caused by man is the principal poison the planet is dealing with now. Climate change has wreaked great havoc on the Earth, in which of course people have also collaborated. Desertification of land as a result of deforestation and the displacement of tropical areas. The seas that "drown" by pollution and grow as the polar caps melt. "The evil is so great that it is preferable not to analyze it", is the position of many in the face of the crisis. Why take care of a future that I am not going to live? This is how people live, without taking responsibility for their damage to the planet, without giving it importance being the only one we have. But, will the planet itself give us the answer to the problem? You only need to see the impact that a pandemic has had this year. It is incredible how the confinement and “stoppage” that the world has had ends up being beneficial for the environment, lower levels than previous records in air pollution are registered, and you can see many stories of animals moving freely through the cities. Does this mean that life alone makes its way? It may be, but it will not succeed without a push, and we must be the ones to push. People act irresponsibly against the world, but their hands also have the power to remedy their damage. We are tired of listening this, but saving electrical energy, not using products that contain chemical substances, and other measures are minutiae in the eyes of many, but together they represent a power of change that remains in people know how to use. Maybe I'm a fool for thinking like that and man cannot change his way of being, so he will end up self-destructing with time, but hope is the last thing lost. I am hopeful that my children and grandchildren can live in a clean and healthy world, not in a garbage dump; to be able to tell them a story of how the world changed, people changed and fixed the planet. It would be a nice anecdote to tell on Earth Day. That would be all I have to say. Uncertainty is what remains for the future, however man has always shown throughout his history that he is an unstable variant. Whoever reads this in 2070, I hope the history class hasn't been monotonous. With the wish that you live in a beautiful and healthy world, someone says goodbye to you, Marco
Hi, I'm Miguel, in my time, just now, the coronavirus is happening, something very serious that is happening, I would like to take care that something like this does not happen again.
Hello, my name is Wander. I think I am kind. I am a little shy person when I speak in public. The citation we are going through is difficult for the countries and their inhabitants. I hope that in 2070 everything is arranged and that Earth Day is celebrated.
Hey there, my name is Camila Molina and I'm fourteen years old. I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which is a small island located in the Caribbean. Currently we're battling with different things; the pandemic, economic crisis, and climate change. Before we were bound to our homes, there was some progress on the latter. Our school was doing various projects to raise awareness of the situation in our society. Around the school we've banned plastic straws,plates,cups,bottles and most bags; also, anything made out of foam. Not only inside the school jurisdiction, but we had a "cleaning competition". This consisted of picking up any piece of plastic around the neighbourhood. Around the world, there are kids going on a school strike led by Greta Thunberg to get attention from the government on this life-threatening subject. Even now, during quarantine, the strike still goes on. The UN has made some summits/ reunions with world leaders, including Thunberg, to talk about solutions and bring to light the government's poor management. I'm writing this to you, student of 2070, to see if humanity made it that far; to see if the environment revitalized. I believe we may have a chance to stop complete extinction.
I am Adib Benzan I am 14 years old I live in Dominican Republic. I see that the society is responding partially good to the environment why partially because their is some people that plant trees and another one is throwing garbage on the floor. I will make my parents to commit to recycling for one year. I hope that this is worth for you to celebrate in 2070.
Dear Future,
The old ways are returning. While we are stuck inside, the animals are reclaiming what was theirs. I haven't seen a rabbit in Homestead, Florida since I was eight. My dog picks up the scent of one every time we walk around the yard. Everything is healing because of the reduced human interference, and the biggest shame is this: no one will see it. We have been forced to turn to our screens, whether we want to or not.
Future, I implore you to go outside. My world is already slipping away. Campaigns and climate strikes mean nothing if YOU are not acting. All it takes is one small thing. If you leave the lights on and don't turn off the water while brushing your teeth, all your preaching is negated. To make global change, you must start with local change.
If you have a garden, fill your watering can as you wait for your shower water to heat up. Run a self-experiment: plug your drain and see how much water you consume. Cut your six-pack rings before throwing them away. The worst crime we can commit is to be unaware. Change that. Notice your world. Notice your impact. Educate your peers on the small things. Monitor your waste, and reduce it little by little.
Global change does not occur in one day. One person cannot change the world, but one person can change their community, and united communities CAN change the world.
This Earth Day, turn to your own area. Find one problem that you can fix, and begin working on it. Take care of your home, and your home will take care of you. As a UM student, as any college student, you are at the crux of your life. The on-ramp to the expressway. It's time to explode into your world and begin your crusade. You are your own warrior. You are my future, just as much as you are your own future. The title of your major does not matter, whether you have been labeled as Science or Business or Art. The Earth does not see that piece of paper, it only knows your impact- so let's make a positive one. You and me together: let's conserve water, reuse what we can, and spread the good word.
Forever Onward, Someone who was in your shoes