An issue that has received growing attention in the past few years, environmental protection has become an integral component of ecological education in the United States. Public service announcements repeatedly emphasize it and organizations everywhere preach rigorously about it. Ironically, despite its outspoken position on the importance of conservation, the United States is the largest polluter in the world, releasing approximately 25% of all carbon dioxide emission although it carries only 4% of the world’s total population. Moreover, the United States is also the least cooperative of all polluters, being the sole industrial country that rejects the Kyoto Protocol by excuse of the economy under heavy criticism in 2001. Still, the United States as a federal government has taken few concrete actions to ameliorate the current situation.

On a local level, however, the mounting awareness of the concern has brought about major improvements, or at least plans to achieve them. San Francisco, particularly, a city often at the lead of the pack, has taken initiative in this matter. For example, it has devised a plan that aims to increase renewable energy use in the city, promising to “make renewable energy and energy efficiency policy priorities within city government,” to “expedite and increase local investments in solar power,” and to “support partnerships to grow the renewable power supply in our region.” After all this, however, we are compelled to ask, “Where are we in all of this?”

Perhaps we could look at this from another angle: “How can we ensure that everyone would be environmentally conscious?” The answer to this question is extremely simple and equally predictable — “through education.” Let us look at a specific school, Abraham Lincoln High School. Located in the quasi-suburban Sunset District, the populous public school has launched an educational program to involve the entire school community in a learning experience beyond the content of the required science classes. Additionally, the Environmental Science course sponsored by the Advanced Placement program has also informed students so as to help them to develop into “green” individuals. We are doing our part, so what about you?