Resource Studio

“Watching my grandmother do one simple thing every day has always inspired me, and creating this drawing makes me hope that people will start taking care of our blue planet and the beautiful life within after seeing this work of art. Every day, dinners are concluded with scraps of leftover food, but we do not realize that all these scraps can really make a difference in our environment. My grandmother collects what people would regularly throw into the trash and composts our fruit and vegetable peels, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, used paper towels, and more.”

– Jasmine Wang (Massachusetts)

“As a young child, I learned much about my Indian roots and Islamic religion that involves the use of water. Writing about water touches on the most essential parts of my identity. Through personal narrative, I have sought to explore times across my life in which I became more aware of the importance of water. I can show my love and appreciation for water by revisiting my memories of Saudi Arabia’s Zamzam Well, practicing the ritual purification of Wudu, fasting during Ramadan, and collecting well water with my extended family in their village in Kerala, India.”

– Farhan Mohammad (New Jersey)

Photo by Mohammad Bahareth, CC BY-SA 2.0 

“Living in a small island and one of the more than seven thousand islands in the Philippines, our eyes are awakened to the dilemmas confronting our planet’s waters, especially sea level rise. This inspired our team to raise awareness about the impacts of sea level rise on the local community. We believe that showing the adverse effects of climate change such as sea level rise is a powerful tool to make humans reflect on their crimes against the environment.”

– Philip Jayson Lestojas, Kissha Mae Bajamonde, Jesu Rex Salvar, Albert Asistido, Neil Quijano, Mc. Luize Laurence Saral, Maxinne Contreras, and John Ford Abarico (Philippines)

“Typhoons and storms have plagued my birth country, the Philippines, because it’s located in a Pacific Ocean region vulnerable to such natural disasters. Still, the storms have grown steadily worse and erratic—one of my earliest memories involves a typhoon that hit our home especially hard, the flood reaching up to almost five feet. Of course, I didn’t know any better when I was young. However, over time and especially once we were taught about climate change in school, I began to see and read about connections between climate change and the growing frequency and strength of extreme weather events in the Philippines.”

– Yvanna Vien Tica (Philippines)

“When I thought of my favourite water memory, the little pond behind my house immediately came to mind. That patch of frozen water brought me tranquillity and peace even in my darkest times. When I skated, I could breathe in the bitter cold air, feel the trees sway alongside me, and listen to the tune of the birds. It was my canvas, a place where I could carve out my emotions and seek therapy from mother nature herself.”

– Gabriella Guo (Canada)

“When the Texas snowstorm disaster took place, the only thing anyone was concerned about was a way to receive their basic needs. If one were to look closely, you could see humanity in its most basic form and time of dire need. Which is what I did. After seeing the effects of the disaster, I knew I had to document it, and while writing I realized how the crisis I had just faced was parallel to the climate crisis that many already face or are soon to experience if we continue down our current path.”

– Kenechi Mbah (Texas)

Photo by Jno.skinner, CC BY-SA 4.0 

“Rain has always been a significant aspect of my life, especially as one who lives in Taiwan, a subtropical country where rain plagues the island from late spring to early summer. This piece was inspired by one of those “rainy moments” I experienced while waiting for the bus. The fish that the girl is taking out for a walk are Formosan landlocked salmon, an endangered species of fish in Taiwan. Back in elementary school, I was lucky enough to get the chance to observe these beautiful creatures. While doing research on water, I specifically looked at the factors that were holding them in such a sad position and was extremely heartbroken to learn that overfishing and water pollution were the major reasons.”

– Julianne Ho (Taiwan)

“Call To Action is an autobiographical story of my journey towards activism. I wanted to use my anger and turn it into positivity. These last few weeks alone we have seen that by rising up in unity big changes can be forced upon our leaders. Things they told us would take years to work through are actually only taking days to be put in place. So there is no excuse for being passive because this really is a Climate War right now. People might struggle to see the hope in my message, but it is very clear to me. WE are the hope. The young people that take a stand, boycott school and picket outside government buildings, who write to senators. I have begun the process of writing letters, some of which are in my book.”

– Red Whelan (Pennsylvania)

“I reflected on my experience as a Californian and the climate-related issues that have impacted my life. My research about droughts and wildfires revealed a dangerous cycle to me. Worse droughts create increased fires, which emit carbon dioxide, leading to higher temperatures and more droughts. Water is the essential component to preventing or mitigating droughts and fires, of course. The lack of water in California is a problem that most residents are acutely aware of, but I hope to motivate people of all geographical backgrounds to consider the importance of water in their life.”

– Kate Rowberry (California)

“I don’t think I fully realized until I finished writing this essay how inextricable exploring my love of water is to deepening my understanding of myself and who I want to be in the world. I want to be a steward of our precious waters, and while I’ve typically thought that this means ocean waters, being landlocked in the pandemic has given me a new appreciation for local waters—in this case the creeks of Austin, Texas.”

– Jude Strelitz-Block (Texas)

Photo by TerraFrost, CC BY-SA 4.0 

“I grew up around nature and, for the majority of my life, took it for granted. My film is reflection on the last couple years of my life, when I have been fortunate enough to travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth. I’ve seen the good and the bad on this planet and its people, and I’ve seen a variety of ways that climate change is being addressed.”

– Rose Ho (Missouri)

“While I don’t live near the ocean I have felt the direct effects of global warming and the effects of water rising this year. As the climate changes, our weather drastically has been affected. Seoul has not only experienced one of the worst monsoon seasons, drowning out and flooding streets due to the overflowing rivers, but we also experienced nearby one of the worst forest fires due to longer dryer periods.”

– Eugene Hyojoon Shin (South Korea)