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Turning Environmental Anxiety into Community Action
For many young people, conversations around climate change can feel overwhelming. Constant headlines about environmental challenges often create a sense of fear, helplessness, and uncertainty about where to begin. For Girl Scout Alyssa Parola, that feeling became the inspiration behind her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Rather than allowing environmental anxiety to remain a source of stress, Alyssa set out to help her community channel those feelings into meaningful, accessible action.
Through a series of workshops and community clean-up efforts, Alyssa created opportunities for people to learn practical sustainable habits they could incorporate into everyday life. Working alongside a team of volunteers, she focused on helping participants understand that even small actions can make a positive impact—not only on the environment, but on their own sense of empowerment and well-being.
Alyssa says the inspiration for her project came during her freshman year, when she found herself overwhelmed by alarming news about the state of the climate.
“I was seeing a lot of scary news articles about the state of the climate, making me overwhelmed and not sure where to start on how to help this situation,” she explained. “Slowly I found outlets for this stress and environmental anxiety through sustainable actions and service projects, and I wanted to share this with my community in hopes of empowering them to take action.”
Her project addressed what she identified as the root cause of environmental anxiety: the feeling that problems are too large for individuals to make a difference. By focusing on realistic, approachable actions, Alyssa helped community members feel more connected, informed, and capable of contributing in positive ways.
To ensure the project would continue beyond the completion of her Gold Award, Alyssa partnered with local organizations to make her resources accessible to others. Boro Safe, a mental health organization in her community, published her workshop plans, research materials, activity instructions, and videos from the events, allowing others to replicate the programs and continue the conversation around sustainability and environmental wellness.
For Alyssa, Girl Scouts has been a place that encouraged her to take on challenges with confidence and support.
“To me, being a Girl Scout means being able to explore new things with the confidence of a supportive team around me,” she shared. “It means being able to push myself to take chances, and understand that it’s okay to fail and try again.”
Through her Gold Award project, Alyssa transformed concern into action and created a lasting resource that encourages others to do the same—proving that meaningful change often begins with small, intentional steps.
May 08, 2026
