Planet Earth's Future

On a random Monday in the middle of the summer, over 100 people came out for Planet Earth’s Future: Student Voices On Climate Change. Together with NEST and Sierra Club Prairie Rivers Group we presented a student-led night full of real talk on climate science and calling out misinformation. 

Youth Panel Answering Questions

Our morning intern team Zoe, Sabrina, Dani, Mara, Shaye, and Andrea spent weeks researching and preparing a full-scale presentation that wasn’t just about facts, but about action. We covered everything from how the greenhouse effect works to why extreme heat and floods are killing more people each year. We broke down how federal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act are being dismantled. We described what’s happening with our partner students in the Solomon Islands right now, where people are already being displaced due to rising seas. And we tied it all back home to how Naperville is voting next month on a 30-year contract to keep burning coal.

The packed audience

After the presentation the student panel answered audience questions on everything from composting and waste management to sustainability and how to actually take climate action right here in Naperville.

From connecting with students in the Solomon Islands to breaking down policies and making climate science feel real and urgent, the interns here at Accelerate Climate Solutions have been putting in the work. They’ve sparked conversations, brought people together, and shown what youth-led climate action actually looks like. And we’re just getting started.