Bellevue East high school students attended a rally at Lincoln Capitol on February 25, 2025 to protect the Green Amendment.
Students from Bellevue East and other high schools in the Omaha area want to prioritize clean air and drinking water through the Green Amendment. According to the Nebraska Examiner, these student leaders are proving their leadership in our society by doing so.
“I think that [the Green Amendment Rally] showed that the youth care about the environment and environmental policy,” junior Claire Bossman said.
The Green Amendment would give citizens a legal right to a “clean and healthy environment,” including “pure water”, clean air and “healthy soils”, according to the Nebraska Examiner. Indicated by Environmental Health News, a purified environment will help citizens live a healthy and longer life.
“The Green Amendment rally was a youth-led mobilization effort, organized by Students for Sustainability to demonstrate support for LR22CA , the Nebraska Green Amendment,” Executive Director of Students for Sustainability Evalina Sain said. LR22CA, better known as the Green Amendment, ensures citizens the right to clean drinking water and air.
Students feel that this rally is essential for change to happen relating to a clean and more renewable environment. Proceeding with this change will improve our environment increasingly.
“The Green Amendment is vital to our state for countless reasons,” Sain said. “Principal among them being its role in ensuring every citizen’s fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment, providing legal productions and marginalized communities disproportionately affected at atmospheric and water pollution due to historical redlining and holding the government accountable for prioritizing environmental preservation and public well being.”
There were many setbacks to this rally. This rally set an impression of concern from citizens through the Nebraska government even though the amendment wasn’t passed. According to Environmental Health News, people are worried about the cost of this amendment.
“I think of all things, I feel it’s just because we’re young, there’s an idea that our opinions aren’t as important, which is something we did address at the rally,” junior Henry Yost said.
Students completed tasks to successfully stress the idea of the Green Amendment. Participating in this rally, students made signs and attended a press conference.
“We made signs before the rally that had to do with the Green Amendment, then there was a press conference where people spoke, and then we went to the actual hearing and people spoke to the senators,” Bossman said.
The Green Amendment is important to youth across the Omaha area. These students care about the future environment of Nebraska.
“I think it’s important in the matter of clean water due to high levels of nitrate in drinking water and tap water, which has increased cancer rates,” Yost said.
