From the high school that brought you the local ban on expanded polystyrene (more commonly known as Styrofoam) comes a new campaign.
A class project has evolved to a full-fledged movement via the Homestead High School community. A group of students is now taking a stance against fracking.
The class created an organization called S.A.F.E. (Students Against Fracking the Environment) that aims to ban fracking in California.
“Fracking is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rock to extract natural gas,” junior Sophia Dycaico said. “We believe that fracking should be stopped because of the dangerous health effects of drinking water contamination from the unreported toxic chemicals that are used for fracking, the large amounts of wasted water, especially when we are in a drought, and the increased seismic activity.”
To help spread the word, the students created an educational YouTube video, website and Facebook page, which in a matter of days got more than 600 likes.
“We really care about our environment and we are the future, and being in the age of technology it’s so easy to get in contact with anyone, even around the world,” said 17-year-old Alyssa Farias. “So, I feel like we have so many resources, and I don’t think we know how much we can do. Within a day, 100 people liked our Facebook page. To us, a picture on Instagram can get 300 likes in a day, so it makes you think if we had taken this on sooner we could have reached out to so many more people.”
According to the students’ website, fracking poses a major threat to the environment because it promotes the occurrence of earthquakes, pollution of water and displacement of natural ecosystems.
The initial goal for the group was to help to pass SB 1132, a bill created by Sens. Holly J. Mitchell and Mark Leno that would have placed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.
Students collected more than 470 printed signatures for a SB 1132 petition by going around the community to places such as Philz Coffee, Whole Foods Market, and the Sunnyvale Farmers Market. The group then added to the signatures for the original online petition at petitions.moveon.org, contributing to upward of 30,000 signatures.
“I was surprised by how many people I talked to who did not know what fracking was, but after I explained that it was a type of oil and natural gas drilling that wastes and contaminates water and discussed the dangers fracking poses to health and how there are more efficient alternative energy sources to gas such as wind and solar, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support I received on this issue from complete strangers,” Dycaico said.
“I believe that this is a crucial public issue and that everyone should be informed that fracking is happening and of the dangers that come along with it.”
The group also joined 350 Silicon Valley outside the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose to protest outside the President Barack Obama fundraiser in May, raising awareness by joining the petition in support of SB 1132 and calling and emailing local senators on the Senate Environmental Quality Committee to pass SB 1132 for appropriations. But the bill was defeated in late May.
The group hopes to continue its efforts into the next school year, however, by staying in touch with organizations such as the Sierra Club and 350.org and uniting with other students within the Fremont Union High School District.
“We’re just high schoolers, but if we don’t do something now and if we’re not changing and getting the word out there, who will?” junior Rory Sidovar said.
The 17-year-old then quoted Gandhi. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“We see it this way: Once you frack you can’t go back, so we better stop it now,” Dycaico added.
For more information visit
Environment or “HHS Anti-Fracking Animation” on youtube.com.