PARSIPPANY — Two Parsippany Hills High School students are among the 24th annual Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards winners.
The students Anika Arora and Divya Arora began their environmental work with a grassroots “Meatless Mondays” campaign in 2020 to raise awareness of the adverse effects of meat consumption on our climate.
With the support of the Parsippany Green Team (PGT), they presented their research at the town library, to the environmental advisory committee (PEAC), school principals, the Board of Education, and the Town Council.
They hosted tables and presented at town green fairs in 2022 and 2023 to educate the community on reducing their carbon footprint. In the summer of 2023, Anika and Divya conducted a “Climate Sciences Workshop” in town.
They built a guide for elementary students and educated them on the causes and effects of climate change using fun science experiments, arts, and games. During these past 3 years, Anika and Divya have taken on several other environmental initiatives. They participated in drain audits, and cleanups in town and outside and hosted an art fundraiser.
They have attended the Columbia Climate School Eco-Ambassador programs and are certified in climate change leadership. Anika and Divya founded “Simply Green” (simply-green.org), dedicated to rallying youth to reverse climate change. They can be followed @_simply.green_