"I'm Advyth, I'm 17 years old, and I love the Green Party because we have practical solutions to address many of our current challenges.

During the 2016 presidential election, I felt that many of my concerns were not being addressed by the candidates of the two major parties. When I learned about the Green Party, and its guiding pillars of Social Justice, Democracy, Ecology, and Peace, I realized these described what I believed in. The solution to many environmental, social, and economic problems are in the comprehensive and cohesive Green New Deal platform, which encompasses universal healthcare, a rapid shift to 100% renewable energy, and basic income.

One of the issues I'm most passionate about is environmental sustainability. The current generation of young people, including myself, could witness the catastrophic effects of anthropogenic climate change, in our lifetimes, if no climate action is taken today.

Luckily, one of the solutions to stop climate change is literally right under our feet! Greenspaces serve as carbon sinks that mitigate human emissions; ecosystem functions take carbon into the air and store it in the ground, lessening the degree of global warming. At the local level, we can restore the open spaces of our county -- grasslands, woodlands, and community gardens -- to both sequester more carbon and be resilient to changing weather patterns. Improving the condition of our lands also has many other benefits, including cleaner air, less sound pollution, healthy aquifers, and decreased flood risk.

These solutions are already being implemented around the world, but currently the city of San José's climate plan is lacking the open space component. The city is accepting public feedback, so speak out by submitting comments and voicing your concerns at one of the upcoming public meetings! If you live elsewhere in the county, email your city council member outlining your concerns and telling them to create and fund programs to utilize city parks, gardens, and open spaces to fight climate change.

The Greens are community leaders of grassroots movements to create a more safe, just, and healthy world. This Earth Day, join us, and make your voice heard!"

By Advyth, San José

Advyth, is a bay area member of the Green Party Youth Caucus.