Intern Spotlight: Astha Savalia

Me in Japan

Hi, I’m Astha Savalia. I’m an incoming freshman at Naperville North High School (NNHS). This summer I am interning at Accelerate Climate Solutions (ACS) in the Local Community Action group with a focus on Naperville’s coal contract with IMEA. Two years ago, I learned that Naperville relies on highly polluting coal for ~80% of its energy and I wanted to do something about it. My first step was to raise awareness. I made an animated video that I shared with friends and family on my mom’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. I also shared this video and some comments at a Naperville City Council meeting in January 2025 and attended a few rallies to say no to coal. In 8th grade, I started an Eco Club at Kennedy Junior High School, where we emailed our city officials and spoke up about our opposition to the contract extension with IMEA. I also worked on a documentary video called A City’s Dirty Secret with my sister Reva, which won Honorable Mention in the CSPAN StudentCam documentary contest.

This summer at ACS, I hope to meet and work closely with other kids who are passionate about environmental sustainability so we can make a bigger impact in Naperville and beyond. I also am excited to meet and learn from other experts in the area. Finally, I am participating in the Climate Art program as well.

My other summer plans include going to a couple of civics and leadership camps, running daily in NNHS’ cross-country camp, and practicing for my second degree black belt in taekwondo, I love to travel and have especially loved visiting Japan and Costa Rica, where I was inspired by some of their environmental sustainability efforts.