Let people in your community know what is important to you
Young Eco Leaders learn about the environment AND take action to help protect the planet. One important action is to share your knowledge with others because the more people who know about an issue, the more people who will take action to make change.
A Letter to the Editor is a short letter that expresses the ideas of a community member, and anyone can send one to the Editor of their local newspaper. Newspapers often publish these letters, especially if they are from kids, and Letters to the Editor are among the most widely read parts of the paper. You can read examples of Letters to the Editor in the Winston-Salem Journal here.
Write a Letter to the Editor to inspire others to support a more sustainable community
1. Pick a topic
Letters to the Editor should be about or connected to something that is timely and in the news. Can you connect something in the news with an environmental topic that you care about? You may want to include a "call to action" or the next step you want people in the community to take.
Think about environmental issues that you're passionate about, that are important, and that you want more people to learn about. Some examples include climate change (why are you concerned, how might it impact our community and young people), issues related to food (the importance of eating less meat, local farms, how meal planning helped your family produce less waste).
2. Do your research
Now that you have a topic, expand your knowledge on the issue with a little research. Try and find a couple of facts or statistics to include in your letter. Here some great resources for your environmental research:
3. Write your letter
With your research complete, you're now ready to write your letter to the Winston-Salem Journal. First, state your issue. What is your topic and why is it important? Include your personal experience and the facts and statistics you have learned. What is a possible solution to the issue? Finish your letter with a call to action. What is it that you want people to take away from your letter? Is there a specific action you would like readers to perform to help solve the issue?
Keep your Letters to the Editor short, 250 words or less.
For more tips on writing and submitting a Letter to the Editor click here.
4. Submit your letter
Once you've finished the writing process, email your letter to Letters@wsjournal.com. Write "The Readers' Forums" in the subject line and include your full name, address, and telephone number. You can also submit your letter online using this form.
Or you can mail letters to: The Readers' Forum, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101.
Take a photo of your letter and share it on social media. Make sure to tag @peancorg and #PEAYoungLeaders to be entered into the weekly Young Eco Leaders Raffle.
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