EEF high school and college interns lead impactful events and initiatives both on and off campus in support of the New Jersey Green Amendment. This page highlights some of their significant work. High school intern Elif Cam shares her experience presenting at her town council in support of the New Jersey Green Amendment. As a leader in the New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition, a student-led group advised by EEF, Elif is dedicated to advocating for environmental rights. College intern Erica Cowper also discusses her experience protesting for the Green Amendment, showcasing the commitment of young advocates to drive change.
EEF Initiatives in Support of the Green Amendment
What is the New Jersey Green Amendment?
A constitutional right to Clean Air, Pure Water, a Stable Climate and Healthy and Scenic Ecological Habitats
Download EEF’s NJ Green Amendment factsheet!
The Green Amendment:
Alows lawsuits if the state fails to act or acts in a way that allows unconstitutional levels of degradation or damage to the environment.
Provides that all communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income have the same rights to a clean & healthy environment.
Can be a tool to help address hazardous sites, PFAS, industrial air pollution, etc., in already overburdened communities.
Can be used to preserve green spaces.
Lets get it on the NJ ballot in 2025!
EEF Interns present to clubs, town councils and environmental commissions about the NJ Green Amendment
Speaking in front of my town council and mayor in support of a bill I feel passionate about, the Green Amendment, was a truly empowering feeling. Knowing that my generation will have to deal with unparalleled climate challenges, I wanted our state to pass an amendment giving us a chance to protect our environmental rights and preserve a livable climate for our futures. I had gone to the town council meeting representing my school environmental club that I lead, and I was there to ask for our town’s endorsement of the bill. Being on that podium making eye contact with the council members as I spoke really made me feel like me and my fellow young climate advocates’ voices were being heard, and that our efforts were significant.
About two months after I spoke, I was invited back to the council for the voting on the Green Amendment, and when our council voted to pass it, I was overjoyed.When the NJ Senate held a Green Amendment hearing in March of 2024, I attended and testified, this time to the State Committee. As of right now, the Green Amendment has passed the Senate Committee, a huge step in getting it enacted on a state level. What I would want to tell youth who are passionate about the environment is that our voices do matter, and right now, they are critical in helping raise statewide support for the Green Amendment. So, write to your legislators, go to your state environmental commission or to your town council, and advocate, because it can really make a difference.
- Elif Cam, 16 years old, Princenton High School
More action for the Green Amendment
EEF is working with Green Amendment for the Generations and other groups, to add an amendment to the NJ Constitution in November, to include Environmental Rights in the same way that speech, property, religion, and gun rights are constitutionally protected. Known as the “Green Amendment,” the amendment would protect the rights of current and future generations to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, and ecologically healthy habitats.
- Erica Cowper, 24, recent graduate from Lehigh University
Every person has a right to a clean and healthyenvironment, including pure water, clean air, and ecologically healthy habitats, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic qualities of the environment…
Join A Student Led Organization Dedicated to Action: New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition
EEF has recently agreed to act in an advisory role for the New Jersey Student Sustainability Coalition. EEF interns are encouraged to join NJSSC in an already existing team, or to create their own team. In addition to NJSSC, EEF can mentor interns in creating their own environmental clubs at their school, or various other student organizing.
