Santa Rosa students go green

<p>Eighth-grader Brynna Thigpen wonders just how hard it really is to save the world from global warming.</p><p>It’s as easy as the flick of a switch.</p><p>“People see it as a burden, but if you keep the focus on what you can do — like usually the recycle bins are right next to the trash can, it’s just a matter of where you put your hand,” she said sitting among fellow Rincon Valley Middle School classmates Friday.</p><p>The students, all members of the campus Earth Hour Committee, were speaking with state Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, explaining how they spent this week holding rallies, making audio announcements and generally urging their classmates to become better guardians of the planet.</p><p>The big push is for Earth Hour on March 28, when people are encouraged to turn off lights, computers and appliances. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour has gone global, but its allure is its accessibility for people who may feel overwhelmed by the subject of global warming, Thigpen said.</p><p>“There are always things you can do,” she said.</p><p>“I think this is a really big issue and it’s not going to be solved in one day or one year,” said eighth-grader and Earth Hour committee member Tori Shubin. “People don’t realize how deep we are digging ourselves.”</p><p>The group has successfully lobbied the school board to endorse Earth Hour, and the City Council has adopted a resolution urging everyone to go lights-out March 28.</p><p>On Friday morning, all seventh- and eighth-graders heard a presentation from Peter Joseph of the Climate Project and Physicians for Social Responsibility on the changing conditions of the planet.</p><p>The students at Rincon Valley Middle School celebrated their week of eco-consciousness by hosting hip-hop artist Torman Jahi of Oakland, who performed at lunch Friday.</p><p>Jahi performed a rousing rap called “Green Flow,” in which he had hundreds of pupils on their feet chanting “Going! Going! Green! Green!”</p><p>“Green is not just something you put on, it’s a lifestyle,” he said after his performance.</p><p>Jahi noted that he rode BART, two different Golden Gate Transit buses and a taxi from downtown Santa Rosa to get to Rincon Valley from his home in Oakland.</p><p>Jahi’s performance was paid for by the Climate Protection and Recovery Fund established by Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Veronica Jacobi.</p>