As the ice caps melt and the heat just keeps on getting hotter, climate change is only going to get worse. This affects the younger generations’ futures. The people that care the most are the youth. Preventing climate change starts with making a difference. The person to make that difference is Louisville’s very own Sharyu Deo, who founded Shape Green Lou.
To be a student-run organization, takes drive and purpose; Deo and her peers genuinely care about the environment. This is an issue she had been passionate about for a while.
“I’ve been interested in environmental science and conservation ever since I was little. When I was in third grade I started a club at my Montessori school called Go Wild,” Deo (12, MST) said.
Go Wild was a club to inform her peers about climate change issues and general information on the environment. This love for the environment followed her all the way to middle school. Though she had gotten busy, saving the world was put on pause until high school.
After Deo began attending DuPont Manual, she found the time and the opportunity to make a positive impact on the community. Her younger sister, who is currently attending the same Montessori school, was her inspiration to give back to the youth. That’s how Shape Green Lou went from an idea to reality.
“We wanted to go with a Montessori approach, very hands-on interactive activities instead of lectures,” Deo(12, MST) said.
Shape Green Lou allows older students to inform the younger generations in a classroom setting. This provides a familiar environment for the mentee and mentor. There are many activities that are done to help them learn about their world, similar to a classroom setting. For example, Deo does hands-on activities such as simulating oil spills in Ziploc bags with water and oil. For those who can’t come to meetings, they offer YouTube videos and more information on their website.
Deo said that patience is a virtue¨ when it comes to working with children. Not only are the mentees provided with role models, the mentors learn how to become better role models as they work with them. By connecting with Louisville youth, Deo and her peers are providing the educational tools they need to develop into environmentally conscious people.
