Profile: Nina Bohan

My whole life has been surrounded by going to the beach, swimming, surfing, playing in the water, and understanding marine life.  I have grown up by the beach in a town called Manhattan Beach, California.  Here I have watched people travel down to the blue waters in the heat of the sun or even in the winter to enjoy being able to surf in the waves.  Although, growing up here comes with its issues.  I have watched as warnings popped up on my phone saying not to go into the water after a rainstorm due to the immense amount of polluted runoff from the streets.  The levels of sewage, urban runoff, and trash dramatically increase after a storm affecting the marine life who call the ocean their home.  To me, it is very important to understand issues like these because they are relevant to people in beach communities and more.  

Although, soon I transferred to a school in Concord, New Hampshire.  I started attending St. Paul’s School in 2018 soon after major record-breaking winters.  When I arrived I expected there to be below 0 temperatures for weeks, needing to wear hats and gloves, and the snow piled up along the sides of the streets.  This did not happen.  My first winter was mild where I only wore a heavy jacket on some days.  The pond froze over so the community could go black ice skating.  The following winter of 2019-2020 was even milder.  The pond did not freeze over during the entire season and students rarely wore heavy jackets.  This opened my eyes to the issue of Climate Change even further.

At St. Paul’s School, when I arrived, I immediately joined the club Ecoaction.  This club is highly involved with bettering the campus’s carbon footprint and making it more environmentally friendly.  This happens through using reusable cups, meatless Mondays, two major environmental events per year, dorm competitions, reducing food waste, and much more.  I began to feel more involved and felt like I was doing just a little to make a difference.  I began to focus on issues such as marine life, sustainable fashion, and I am also interested in many more initiatives.  I wanted to do more with my ability to use my voice and collaborate with others.  There is so much to climate change and we only have one planet so we as humans must do everything we can to support and help.  This is why I joined the FXB Climate Advocates.  This organization is giving me a way to make change, impact, and speak out.  Action towards climate change needs to happen now more than ever.  I am excited to be a part of this group of advocates and I can not wait to see the difference we can make together.