Young Environmentalist Teaches the Community to Be More Sustainable

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Bella Kalra. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

At 13 years old, Bella Kalra was awarded a grant to launch a recycling program at her middle school that continues to recycle around 400 pounds of waste each year. Recognizing her power to affect change set her on a path to enact even more impactful initiatives that shape her community.

Today, the 16-year-old environmental activist is on the City of Bellaire’s Youth Advisory Board and in her school’s Sustainability Club. She often collaborates with UNICEF and the city’s Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB). With the last of these, Bella helped introduce a city-wide composting program. Eleven percent of the 17,000 residents regularly compost for city landscaping projects, reducing annual food waste by over 2,000 pounds.

Bella also loves combining climate work with things that might not be an obvious partnership, like writing slam poetry about the environment and, as president of her school’s Open Mic Club, giving students a safe space to write about issues they’re passionate about, regardless of subject. In the years ahead, she hopes to channel her passion for environmental science and teaching into a career where she can engage more people in the fight for the future of the planet.

What inspires you to volunteer?

When I was in fifth grade, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a couple of friends and I won second place in the “Create for UNICEF” competition with an original song about climate change. It was the first time I realized that my words could be a catalyst for change. Ever since then, I’ve been working with UNICEF. They helped me start a recycling program at my middle school and have opened me up to opportunities. I’ve become extremely passionate about the environment.

In Houston, we see the effects every single day. We have hurricanes. The temperatures are so high. It’s 85 degrees in November. Even freezes are becoming more frequent.

Tell us about your volunteer role with the Bellaire Youth Advisory Board and High School of Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Sustainability Club.

As vice chair and environmental liaison of the Youth Advisory Board, I’m in charge of coordinating our environmental opportunities and volunteer events. I collaborate closely with the City of Bellaire’s ESB, which is a separate city government board dedicated to the environment, but with adults. I’m the only youth who attends those meetings. I help them make short educational videos about things like light pollution and reducing carbon footprints for the city’s website. One thing I’m especially proud of is our composting program.

I’m vice president of HSPVA’s Sustainability Club, and we host sustainable school events to engage students in caring for the planet and learning about climate change. Our thrift stores are always a hit. We also do holiday events, like pumpkin drives after Thanksgiving to donate and compost. During Christmas, we teach students ways to make or purchase sustainable presents.

I’m also an Evelyn’s Park teen ambassador. On weekends, I get to teach kids about nature, lead a fun class or clean up the park.

What inspired you to get started with these initiatives?

A big part of my mission is education, because people can’t make a change if they’re not knowledgeable about what’s happening in the first place. There is a teaching component with all of my volunteer roles.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization and your environmental work?

One of my goals is to extend the city composting program to HSPVA and potentially even the district. Food waste is the largest component in landfills, and composting is a great way to divert that.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Every year, I volunteer at a community Earth Day event, and I make hanging gardens out of plastic water bottles with kids around 5 to 10 years old. I do a drive to collect old water bottles, and I cut out the side. We buy seeds—fruit, vegetables, flowers–and together, we plant those in the side of the water bottles to create hanging gardens.

They have so much fun. It’s a great way to teach them about recycling, planting and sustainability. They’re our next generation. I want them to grow up empowered to create change and live more sustainably.

What’s one easy way for people to become more sustainable that they might not immediately think about?

Buy secondhand or reuse. For my Halloween costume this year, I borrowed one item from a friend and used part of a costume from last year to make something new. Not only was it sustainable, but it saved money and was an exciting way to be creative.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Children can make an impact. My freshman year, I was chosen as the only UNICEF Youth Representative to speak at a climate interaction forum in Washington, D.C. Despite being the only child in a room full of adults speaking on the panel, I learned that people actually wanted to hear what I had to say. I want to empower other kids to feel that, too, because they have so much to offer.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

That’s the only way to create change. We can’t wait around for someone else to do it, because nothing will ever be accomplished. Volunteering is a great way to build community, meet new people and impact someone’s life. Also, it’s fun.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

When you’re feeling lost about where to start, think about how you can directly better your own community. Sometimes, people feel the best way to create change is to get involved with their government, save a species or something extreme. In reality, it might be easier to make a positive impact on something that hits closer to home. Think about a problem that directly impacts the people surrounding you and ask yourself, what you can do to make it better.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Bella? Find local volunteer opportunities.