B

Autumn Peltier is a youth environmentalist who has inspired thousands of students to walk out of class and demand action on climate change.

When Autumn Peltier was just 8 years old, she attended a ceremony at a reservation where she saw a sign warning that the water was poisonous. Growing up on a freshwater island in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory in Canada, Peltier says she had never experienced poisonous water. The memory of that sign stayed with her.

Two years later, at the age of 10, Peltier is fighting for water conservation and water rights for everybody. She says she was inspired by her great aunt, Josephine Mandamin, a well-known activist who walked the shores of all five Great Lakes to raise awareness for water conservation.

When she was 12 in 2015, Peltier met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, telling him she was unhappy with his policies on debating pipeline projects. Trudeau promised her he would preserve the water. Since 2015,87 long-term water advisories in Canada have been lifted;56 water advisories

remain.

At middle school, Peltier joined an environmental group at her school and later co-founded the Canadian Youth Water Strike-a Canadian branch of the international movement to conserve water.

Last year, Peltier spoke at the UN about the importance of water conservation and water access, explaining the fundamental role water plays in her culture.

＂Many people don't think water is alive or has a spirit. My people believe this to be true.... We believe our water is precious because we are born of water."

After the speech at the UN, Peltier is joined by a group of teenagers who share similar thoughts. Her friends include Greta Thunberg, a Swedish girl who drew the world attention through the talk at World Economic Forum at Davos, Bruno Rodriguez, an Argentinian boy who joined in the UN Climate Summit, and Mari Copeny, an American girl who is dedicated to the cause of saving water. Peltier and her friends believe that together they can make a big difference.

Undoubtedly, Peltier's many years of hard work has paid off. She has greatly raised people's awareness of water conservation and taught people to take specific actions to conserve water.

That's an impressive list of accomplishments for anyone, let alone a middle schooler.