'A great start': St. Viator High students hold youth climate summit
Students and employees at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights joined with alumni and students at other schools in April for a youth climate summit.
More than 60 students attended the one-day event. Participants talked about climate change, sustainability, environmental advocacy, agriculture, and other related topics.
Presentations and workshops were led by activists including: Sean Ruane, a co-founder of Just Roots Chicago; Mike Galeski of the Carbon Disclosure Project; and Jennifer Snyder, a teacher and member of the Global Jesuit Ecological Task Force.
The event followed a call for action on climate change from Pope Francis.
"The information shared and discussed really touched on the concerns expressed by Pope Francis," said Jason Wilhite, a campus minister at St. Viator, said in a news release about the event.
"The summit was a great start, but it has created important action steps that the students hope to champion with their peers."