Environmental Campaign against the Trans Mountain Pipeline

During last summer, Konik in Grade 12 volunteered with an organisation called ‘Sierra Club’ in Seattle, United States. There he was in charge of raising awareness among the general population about the opposition of a pipeline in Northwest America and the associated environmental concerns. We reached out to Konik to find out more about his passion for the environment, the campaign, the process and what his visions and plans are for the future. 

At the end of the day, I hope that even one voice out of the millions can lead to change! – Konik, Grade 12

There are major environmental concerns regarding the expansion of the ‘Trans Mountain Pipeline’ project, from British Columbia in Canada to Washington in the United States. One of the organisations working against the project is ‘Sierra Club’ in Seattle. “I always believe that the fight for maintaining a clean environment should be done throughout the world, and when I went to Seattle for the summer holiday I decided to find a way to make an impact even there”, says Konik, whose father lives in nearby Washington – something that motivated him even more. “The effects of the expansion would have affected the quality of things, like drinking water, which is completely not negotiable”, says Konik, who was initially shocked when he heard about the expansion. “I knew that oil pipelines do result in oil spills, like in Nigeria. So I did further research about the effects of the Trans Mountain pipeline on Canada and they were several environmental as well as human rights related issues.”

When Konik carried out the research, he found that the pipeline expansion had implications and negative side-effects on Washington State politically, as well as environmentally. The pipeline had already resulted in a major oil spill in Canada and had been opposed by indigenous people, as it destroyed water quality of the region. “Being an avid participant in MUN over the last 5 years, this pipeline expansion really interested me”, says Konik and explains that the construction in Canada had already been opposed by the UN. “I decided to deal with the issue of the Trans Mountain Pipeline at a grassroot level through awareness”, he says and explains that the predicted outcomes in Washington were even worse, as it could endanger the renowned whale watching industry and a possible contamination of drinking water in the state.

The results of the research, evoked Konik to write a letter to the local newspapers, so that citizens of Washington could become more aware of the controversial project. However, it was not easy getting the letter to the editors published. “Many newspapers are not keen on hearing youth opinion on matters like the environment, because such articles written by youth are usually not read by many”, says Konik. “Furthermore, since this was a political and highly controversial issue in Washington, many news channels usually do not want to take a risk in publishing a letter like this”. After contacting several news outlets and polishing the letter five times into the 200 word limit, and making it more formal and less accusing, the final version was published in the local newspaper, The Columbian.

In the future, Konik hopes to use his experience of public appeal to fight for environmental and social issues. “Even when I go to college, I want to stay active in advocating for environmental issues”, says Konik, whose first-hand experience of creating awareness material for the public may also help him persuading government officials and corporates for change. “I believe that even one voice can make a difference in fighting for the environment”, says Konik. Currently he is arranging a walkathon to raise funds for a tree plantation, a project done in collaboration with the organisation ‘Last Ripple’. The purpose is not only to plant trees, but to pay tribute to the COVID-19 front-line workers. Konik is also working on a project in collaboration with the Smile Foundation: “I am also working on the creation of a video series that will help creating knowledge about environmental issues amongst rural children in the tree plantations of Darjeeling and slums of Mumbai.” 

To read the letter that Konik wrote opposed to the Trans Mountain Pipeline, visit The Columbian.