Combatting Climate Change

Earth Day 2022 is April 22 and is a perfect time to celebrate the mentorship of Skinner Middle School 7th grader, Jaya. Like so many young people, Jaya is concerned about the future of our planet and is upset that adults and the government aren’t doing enough to combat climate change. Teachers at Skinner recognized Jaya’s concern for the environment and nominated her for an Academic Mentorship in renewable energy engineering. 

Through this program, Jaya was paired with Dr. Kaitlyn Bunker, Principal with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in Boulder, CO. At RMI, Kaitlyn leads a diverse team that partners with islands in the Caribbean to support and accelerate their clean energy transitions. During her mentorship meetings with Kaitlyn, Jaya learned about energy storage and barriers to transitioning from traditional power sources to renewable energy. Jaya also toured the RMI headquarters, Colorado’s first net-zero 100% leased office building. 

Most Academic Mentorships would end after these experiences, but as an ambitious scholar, Jaya continued with her mentorship and created a renewable energy feasibility study for Skinner Middle School. With input from Skinner’s facility manager, Jaya reviewed current energy consumption at her school and then, using her advanced math skills, developed three scenarios for solar panel usage. In early January Jaya presented her feasibility study to teachers and peers in her honors science class at Skinner. This is a student who, no doubt, will be a force of change in the future.