Growing Up Elizabeth May: The Making of an Activist
THAT I HAVE TO FEELING As she got older when she saw things people did that hurt the forests or the streams or the air or the water Elizabeth would get an I have to feeling You’ve probably had that feeling too It’s a feeling that nudges you from the inside It upsets your stomach and niggles at your brain and it won’t go away until you do something a richer inner life Elizabeth May Getting involved gives you When Elizabeth got it in her head that something in the environment environment needed to be protected or someone needed help there was no stopping her She was like a detective searching for the truth She researched the facts until she knew everything she could about the problem ACT NOW I am active in my school climate-action group because it feels like something is missing if I am not doing something I like how it feels to actually be doing something to help other people and help our planet Norah Sylvia Olsen with Cate May Burton
When you can vote and tell others to vote too It’s a Fact On average 55 percent of people in the United States who are eligible to vote actually turn out to vote for a presidential candidate In Canada the average turnout is a bit higher at 62 percent and in Mexico the average is 66 percent
Recycle recycle recycle when you use plastic bottles Elizabeth was like a scientist She looked at the topic from every angle so she understood all the arguments for and against She didn’t just believe what she heard she had to confirm the evidence for herself Elizabeth was like a journalist She contacted everyone involved in an issue She phoned people wrote letters to people that was before emails and texting and met with people face-to-face Then she wrote down what she had learned and shared it with everyone do the right thing The time is always right to Martin Luther King Jr Elizabeth was like a linguist She learned big scientific words words most people don’t even try to say like strontium-90 and organophosphates She learned to use the right words at the right 6
Not a Superhero time so people took notice and realized that she knew what she was talking about Elizabeth was like a historian She studied the background of her topics how a problem got started and who was involved from the beginning She didn’t stop looking for information until she was certain she knew the whole story Elizabeth has been the only member from the Green Party in Parliament for years People say What can one woman do What can a tiny party do But that doesn’t matter to her She just keeps After all that you might think Elizabeth was a superhero because when she did all these things it was sort of like putting on a cape or picking up a wand When she stepped out to make change she was well prepared and ready for anything But Elizabeth wasn’t magical She had courage and determination and she didn’t believe anyone who told her she couldn’t make a difference the world a better place Joni Olsen W̱JOȽEȽP working to make Tsartlip First Nation ACT NOW We need to stop using plastics Stop polluting the ocean We can start by banning things that are not compostable I’m using reusable bags and metal straws I’m stopping the use of all soft plastics I recycle at school and at home Kate
