Q&A for How to Save the Environment (for Teens)

Yes, glass is absolutely recyclable. You can also repurpose glass jars and use them to hold supplies, cosmetics, or loose change. I like to use them for office supplies, too. There are also zero waste stores that will often take your glass jars.

Well, if they're plastic they're recyclable. You can also use them as craft or plant holders. I've seen a lot of people cut the top part off and use the bottom portion to hold plants, since you can poke holes in the bottom to create drainage holes.

Always remember the 'three Rs' -- Reuse, Recycle, Reduce.

Have a paper bin in the class rooms so excess paper, cardboard, etc. can be recycled, either by you or the teacher. Set up a compost for your school's fruit and vegetable scraps.

You might try a Plant a Tree day.

Start locally and clean up any trash you see. Recycle what you can and try to reuse as much as possible.

Yes, because no one wants to be around another that they don't see eye-to-eye with.

Greta Thunberg is a great example of someone who has experienced mental illness (depression, anxiety and an eating disorder) in the past and is an environmental activist. She is also autistic, and while this isn't a mental illness, it is the reason for her interest in climate change, and she has described it as a "superpower". While you don't have to do something big, you can make small changes in your lifestyle, such as eating fewer animal products, recycling more, picking up litter, spreading awareness, using a car less and walking or cycling more, using less electricity, donating to charity, and more. wikiHow has many great article on helping the environment.

Ask them why. Everyone wants to help the environment, but not everyone wants to take those measures. If they want to take longer showers and prefer driving/being driven, that’s fine. Hear them out. Just offer easier ways to help, like paying attention to what goes in the garbage and what goes in the recycling.

I assume you mean the 17-year old, Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg, who is a Swedish environmental activist. Greta challenged world leaders. What she had to say caught the attention of millions worldwide, and she was invited to speak at many places.