Profile: Richard Chen

Money, comfort, happiness, harmony, success, peace. These are all values or materials that people from the modern society value or desire. I, too, value many of these values and materials alike. When I was still a third-grade student in China, the sky was blue, the water was clear, and there wasn’t any noise or pollution from industrialization and urbanization. Everything was so peaceful and pure, and I enjoyed living in that environment more than anything. However, as industrialization advanced and urbanization kicked in, everything changed. Countless skyscrapers appeared through the thin air, blocking the warm sunlight and the azure sky; smokes coming out from chimney, polluting the air and poisoning my hometown. I felt disturbed by these changes, but my hand was tied behind my back: I was too young to do anything, and I felt powerless against these environment changes.

After I immigrated to the United States, I, again, felt the intimate connection with nature again. There is no air pollution and no water pollution. The blue sky and the warm sunshine still hover over the land. After experiencing the environmental changes firsthand, I decided that I want to protect the purity of air and the cleanness of the sky. I want to preserve the soothing sunshine and the sapphire like sky. I want to live in an environment, where people will not need to wear face masks and use air cleaning filters. Therefore, I want to contribute to reversing climate change.

I want to protect the environment, even if the effort seems small and minute. FXB Climate Advocates will be my first step in my journey of life in protecting the Earth, nature, and my home.