Students at Waterford Kettering High School want to influence their state lawmakers and their future by lobbying for new environmental legislation.

They will be sending over 250 postcards this week to Lansing advocating for passage of Senate Bill 1124, the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

The bill, similar to one passed with the same student effort in Illinois in 2021, aims to have 30%of Michigan’s total area of land and water conserved by 2030. The land and water conserved will include state, federal, and municipal lands and waters, voluntarily conserved tribal lands, and voluntarily conserved private holdings.

The goal is to have a “30 by 30” plan in place by Dec. 31, 2025.

Kettering science teachers Riley Kolakovich and Sarah Pollman got involved through Paul RItter.

Pollman was a student teacher for Ritter, a biology teacher at Pontiac Township High School in Pontiac, Ill.

Ritter helped spearhead the student effort to get a “30 by 30” bill passed and showed Kolakavich and Pollman how they could help in their home state.

“He found out that there was legislation here in Michigan and gave us the idea on how we could help like he had done with his students a few years ago,” said Kolokovich. “This was Paul’s original idea and we took it and ran with it.”

“It is about student agency and giving them the opportunity to stand up for what they believe in,” said Ritter. “It allows them to play a major role in the decision making process and the rollout of how to solve problems with our world and in our state.”

Kolakovich, who oversees the Environmental Club at the school, put the 20 members of the club to work and club president senior Arabella Glass helped lead the way.

“We have sent letters to all the Senators and Representatives and now we are writing postcards to them on why we think this bill should be passed,” said Glass. “We are letting them know that we care about this. We care about our natural resources and we are taking a stance and letting them know that this is something we are passionate about.”

Glass and the club have reached out to other schools in Oakland County and throughout the state recruiting them to also reach out to their lawmakers.

“We sent out a mass email to other clubs and other groups with legislators’ emails, information on the bill and instructions on what to do and hopefully they are doing the same thing as well,” said Glass. “I have not heard anything concrete back from them, but I hope that they are all doing the same things in their schools.”

The bill was sponsored by Senators Mary Cavanaugh (5th District, Farmington Hills Livonia), Sue Shink (16th District, Ann Arbor, Jackson) and Dayna Polehanki (5th District, Livonia, Canton Township) and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture on Nov. 14.

It is unknown if the bill will come to a vote before the end of the current legislative session.

Ritter, who also has his Illinois students lobbying on behalf of the Michigan bill, pointed out how important the issue is and the importance of students advocating for a cause they believe in.

“This is not a partisan issue. The world is everybody’s issue,” said Ritter. “This is a lesson in how your world and your government work and they (the students) are right in the middle of it in real time.”