Mexican ‘Climate Champions’ Meet Tico Teens

A group of five environmentalist teens from Mexico recently met with Costa Rican students from an environmental high school to share ideas for combating global warming last weekend.

“Unfortunately, in my generation, in my school, in my neighborhood people practically have no (environmental) awareness.

They are very into themselves,” said Carolina Carreon, an 18-year-old from Mexico. “That is our job, to create awareness.”

Carreon and the other four Mexican students, all ages 16 to 18, are “Climate Champions,” winners of an international contest put on by the British Council, an arm of the British diplomatic corps.

As their prize, the teens chose to come to Costa Rica to discuss environmental awareness, and after a few days of touring the country, they met Saturday with students from the Centro de Educación Universitario para Niños y Adolescentes (CEUNA), an environmentally themed high school.

“We want to make alliances,” said Luis Evelio, a CEUNA teacher. “We want to see in what way we can make bigger what we do here.”

The high school has various environmental initiatives that are worked into the daily or weekly curriculum, including a recycling center, a greenhouse and a cleanup project for a nearby water basin, among other projects.

–Leland Baxter-Neal