JUNIOR TEAM NEWS
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- 2026 Youth Climate Summit - Our Junior Team tabled at the Youth Climate Summit on February 6, 2026. They were very busy with students wanting to know more about how they can protect our planet by joining our TEAM.
- Adopt a Dune: A Day of Family, Friends, and Giving Back - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member, Patryk Chmielewska, details his experience at the Adopt a Dune event in January.
- Bonnet House Family Day - November 15, 2025 - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member, Patryk Chmielewska, shares his experience tabling at the Bonnet House
- Reflections on Speaking at Davie Town Council - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member, Siyona J. Narang, details her experience speaking at a Davie Town Council Meeting last month.
- My Adventures in Germany - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair, Zofia Chmielewska, shares her experience living in Germany almost three months after her arrival
- Seed Libraries - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Plants "Seed Libraries" in Broward County's Public Libraries
- My Summer of Rivers and Tech - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair, Zofia Chmielewska, details her experiences this summer as one of 13 Americans chosen for the TechGirls program.
- Adventures in Costa Rica - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair, Zofia Chmielewska, ventured to Costa Rica as one of ten Youth Ambassadors chosen nationwide for a US Department of State exchange program.
- "Beauty Detoxed" - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Chair, Anagha Iyer, had her Letter to the Editor recently published in the Miami Herald.
2026 Youth Climate Summit - February 6, 2026 by Anagha Iyer, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Chair
At the Broward Youth Climate Summit, the Broward Sierra Group – Junior Team hosted an engaging tabling event focused on building youth leadership in the local climate movement. Our team connected with more than 300 students throughout the day, sharing information about our initiatives and inviting them to get involved. We handed out candy to spark conversation and distributed seed packets to encourage students to take climate action into their own hands by growing native plants at home.
Our primary goal was to recruit new members to the Junior Team and expand participation in the Broward Green Schools Campaign. By explaining how students can advocate for campus sustainability—whether through waste reduction, energy conservation, or environmental education—we showed that climate leadership is accessible and impactful at any age. This event helped us build that pipeline of committed student leaders who will continue pushing for greener schools and a more sustainable Broward.
Adopt a Dune: A Day of Family, Friends, and Giving Back by Patryk Chmielewska, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member
On January 10th, my family and I went to an Adopt a Dune event with the Broward Sierra Group. About 150 volunteers showed up, which made the beach feel really busy in a good way. Everyone was excited to help and ready to get sandy.
There were six nonprofit organizations at the event, and the Broward Sierra Group was a sponsor. A lot of Sierra Club members came, including many families. As a Junior Team member, it made me feel proud to see so many people working together to help the environment.
Our job was to plant native plants and sea oats on the dunes. We learned that sea oats help hold the sand in place and protect the dunes from erosion and storms. It was fun digging holes, planting, and seeing how much we could get done when we all worked together.
The Adopt a Dune event showed me that helping the environment doesn’t have to be boring - it can be fun, active, and something families can do together.
I’m really glad I got to be part of this event, and I hope we can do it again in the near future. It felt good knowing we helped protect the beach for animals, plants, and people.
Bonnet House Family Day - November 15, 2025 by Patryk Chmielewska, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member
As a Junior Team Member of the Broward Group, I had the opportunity to table (together with Victoria Olson and my mom, Katarina Chmielewska) at the Bonnet House Family Day, where families explored nature, art, history, and hands-on activities across this historic estate.
Guests enjoyed classical performances by the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra, toured the art-filled house museum, and joined in ongoing activities such as architectural building, historical crafts, police K9 visits, a nature treasure hunt, art with natural materials, native plant activities, and a meet-and-greet with Cancun the snake and author Dan Kunz.
At our Broward Sierra Group’s table, families learned about local environmental issues and ways to become a member, get involved, and volunteer. It was a wonderful opportunity to inspire young nature lovers and connect with the community.
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Reflections on Speaking at Davie Town Council - by Siyona J. Narang, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Member
I am a freshman at American Heritage School and a member of the Broward Sierra Group Junior Team. By being a member of the Junior
Team, I was able to speak at the Davie Town Council Meeting last month! I addressed them on September 3rd to ask for their support on the Green Schools Campaign’s proclamation, transitioning Broward County Schools to utilize clean energy by 2030.
This experience allowed me to further enhance my public speaking skills and form valuable connections in my community. I presented a three-minute speech to the committee to address this issue that affects our entire community and our proposed resolution. By speaking to an older audience, I learned how to properly communicate with people's unique opinions; a skill that, unfortunately, a small percentage of our youth have.
After concluding my presentation, several members of the Town Council commended me for participating in the initiative and for representing our youth in the local government. I enjoyed this experience and cannot wait for new opportunities to address this lasting issue!
My Adventures in Germany - by Zofia Chmielewska, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair
Leaving the comfort and familiarity of my home to spend a year abroad in another country whose language I don’t speak ‒ at 16! ‒ is definitely a challenge. But, it is also an amazing adventure. It has been less than 3 months since my arrival in Germany on August 10th. I spent the first four weeks in “Language Camp,” where I had the opportunity to dive deep into learning German. Since then, I have been living the life of a normal German teenager in a small northern-German town with my awesome host-family. Even though this is still just the beginning, I feel that I have already learned a great deal about German life, culture, and some lessons we can take from their lifestyles.
Germans are overall quite concerned with sustainability, and that shows in many aspects of daily life. For example, Germans conserve energy by hanging their laundry instead of using the dryer when possible. It is very common to see laundry hanging outside on a sunny day. Additionally, some Germans, like my host family, have designated spaces indoors where they can hang their laundry regardless of the weather.
Another thing I noticed was that there is a high variety of plant-based food options in ordinary German super markets. Even in my small town, I can go to the supermarket (which is much smaller than the American equivalents, like Publix or Target) and find a wide array of vegan and vegetarian foods. Many Germans are very aware about meat consumption and animal agriculture being bad for the environment. From my host mom, to many friends at school, I have met a lot of vegetarians. Even people who aren’t vegan or vegetarian often reduce their animal product consumption, by frequently choosing plant-based alternatives without completely eliminating animal products from their diet.
Finally, public transport is widely used here. I can reach most places in Germany by taking the train, the bus, on my bike, or by walking. Many people, myself included, travel by train and bus to school and work. The cities and towns I have visited have all been walkable, and it is not difficult to go shopping, eat out, or run most errands without needing to use the car. It’s both good for the environment and allows me to move around independently. The monthly ticket allowing me to use all regional trains and buses is affordable, so using public transportation is both sustainable and accessible.
I can’t wait to share more of my experiences and adventures with you in the future. Tchüss! (“Bye” in German).
Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Plants "Seed Libraries" in Broward County's Public Libraries
Thanks to a $5,000.00 Grant from the Youth Climate Action Fund, and thank you to the Broward Public Libraries for permitting us space in the libraries.
My Summer of Rivers and Tech - July & August - by Zofia Chmielewska, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair
This summer I got the incredible opportunity to study rivers in a college-level course at Virginia Tech, job-shadow at an electric vehicle company in Detroit, and tour Washington D.C., including a visit to the Department of State! I did all of this due to being selected as one of 13 Americans for the TechGirls program, which totaled 120 girls from 37 countries around the globe. At Virginia Tech, I along with my team conducted a simulation aiming to assess how the embeddedness of gravel in a river is affected by sand pulses. Afterwards, we analyzed our data and presented our findings to the rest of our class.
We also had the opportunity to go out in the field and measure aspects of the nearby river, for instance velocity and the cross section. Moreover, we partook in classes discussing topics such as how rivers evolve, floods, and how to analyze data using technology.
Adventures in Costa Rica – June 2025
– by Zofia Chmielewska, Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Vice-Chair
| Recently, our Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team member and Junior Team Vice-Chair, Zofia Chmielewska, was nominated by the Group and won this amazing trip to Costa Rica. I was one of just ten Youth Ambassadors chosen nationwide for a US Department of State exchange program for two weeks in Costa Rica. |
There, I had the opportunity to participate in various cultural activities, leadership workshops, and learn about Costa Rican life first-hand. During my time there, I took part in a truly wide range of activities: from an excursion to a local sustainable coffee farm, a group outing through the tropical forest, to living with a Costa Rican host family. All the while being completely immersed in the Spanish language and “pura vida” lifestyle.
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Although my time abroad has concluded, I plan to take the lessons I learned while in Costa Rica and apply them to my current project. I am working on developing a butterfly and community garden at a local school with grant money just awarded to me from the Youth Climate Action Fund.
"Beauty Detoxed" - Broward Sierra Group-Junior Team Chair, Anagha Iyer, had her Letter to the Editor recently published in the Miami Herald.
