FH High School Eco Club members advocate for environment in Olympia Monday
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Photos and observations by Jess Newley
It was a long day for Friday Harbor High School students — members of the Eco Club. With two advisors leading the way, the delegation of students traveled to Olympia to tour the state capitol and talk face-to-face with legislators. The subjects of the day: ecology and the environment.
The students learned how state policy is made by the legislature. They met with Legislative District 40 State Senator Liz Lovelett, and LD40 Representatives Debra Lekanoff and Alex Ramel.
Meeting with Senator Liz Lovelett (pictured above) who is one of the sponsors of the Recycling Reform Act. Students voiced why this bill is important to them living on San Juan Island and how it would impact their lives. Senator Lovelett asked all to submit written testimonies to help push this bill forward in the House.
A student favorite is always meeting with 40th District Rep. Debra Lekanoff (pictured above). Her energy and ideas inspire students to think big and she always offers support for follow-through on their projects.
Students ended the day witnessing a committee meeting in the House of Representatives. We learned more from Rep. Ramel about the process to get a bill passed (pictured above), and were fortunate to catch some of Rep. Doligio’s time who is the Chair of the Environment and Energy Committee (pictured below).
Jess Newley from Friends of the San Juans co-advises the Eco Club with Katie Fleming from the SJC Department of Environmental Stewardship.
At the end of the day, Newley said, “The eco-club trip to Olympia is always our favorite event of the year. It gives me great hope in this world to hear youth stand up for what they believe in and voice their concerns and action they wish to see happen at the state level. I’ve already heard two students say today that they may go into policy because of this experience.”
