My Letter to the Mayor

For this assignment, I got the pleasure of writing a letter about an environmental issue in our community. I decided to research about lead-contamination in our Chicago water systems. I addressed this letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Below is my letter to her!

PHOTOS

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  My letter

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  My letter cont.

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  Signing my letter

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  Me mailing my letter

REFLECTION

Going into this assignment, I was unsure of what I would write about. I knew that our planet was riddled with pollution and was struggling with climate change, but I didn’t know the extent to our environmental issues on Earth, let alone in the city next door.

I chose to write about lead in our city’s water systems because I think we take water for granted. We just go down to our kitchen to either grab a glass or a bottle of water. But not everyone is as fortunate as we are to have filtered water on the daily. There are hundreds of people in neighborhoods where their access to water is not only limited but contaminated.

You and me are very lucky to have easy access to clean drinking water. Water to us is just second nature, we don’t even think twice. Researching and reading about this ongoing crisis put things in perspective to me. Clean water is a gift and is something that we need be thankful for everyday. Water may be a given for us but to others it’s everything. We have to be conscious of and strengthen our connection with water because it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Water is an essential part of survival, and everyone needs it, no questions asked. But what happens when something you need to live isn’t available? That’s the true reality for so many people not only here in Chicago, but in our country and our world.

It’s hard to figure out where to begin when this water crisis is impacting millions. I’ve decided to start small and to start within my community. It’s critical that we educate ourselves and take action. Maybe this will lead to a chain reaction, maybe this will lead to a movement. I hope my letter to Mayor Lightfoot sheds light on lead contamination. Change has to start somewhere, and I’m starting it here. I’m grateful for this opportunity to research about our world’s greatest faults because it has made me aware that there are billions who need assistance and has inspired me to lend a helping hand for the greater good of our planet.