ORONO — High schoolers from across the state came together at the University of Maine Friday to discuss climate change and learn how to kickstart their own climate projects at their schools.

The full-day summit featured expert speakers, student-run breakout sessions and a resource fair on a wide range of topics related to the Earth’s climate.

Some of the resources provided for the summit cover an overview of heat pumps, reducing food waste and electric vehicle charging initiatives.

The event aims to inspire the next generation of Maine’s climate leaders, and students said it comes at an important time.

“We’re at a pivotal moment where people are looking towards the younger generation,” said Ren Kauffunger, Morris High School student. “And we have to take full advantage of the opportunity that we have to make as much change as possible.”

The summit follows the release of the state’s Maine Energy Plan, which lays out a roadmap for finding ways to make energy more affordable, reliable and clean.

The plan outlined five objectives to meet the state’s climate and clean energy requirements and actions to advance Maine’s energy system:

• Deliver affordable energy for Maine people and businesses 

• Ensure Maine’s energy systems are reliable and resilient in the face of growing challenges 

• Responsibly advance clean energy 

• Deploy efficient technologies to reduce energy costs 

• Expand clean energy career opportunities for Maine people and advance innovation

Some students said events like these are essential in moving towards Maine’s energy goals, because they bring people together.

“I think, alone, we can only do so much,” said Quin Robinson, Central High School student. “But if we get all of our voices together in the same room, we have a lot of power. It’s good to all be on the same page when we’re speaking.”

Some students at the summit hope to take what they learned from the summit and create their own climate action projects to help make a difference in their hometowns.

“I think it’s really important for young people to get involved in things like this. I think that, coming together, we have more impact than doing this alone,” said Abbie Dumont, Windham High School student. “I think doing these things makes us more inspired to actually get out there and do things. I think, oftentimes, we talk about things, but we don’t have action. This is action, and it’s awesome.”

The Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, Maine Department of Education, Maine Environmental Education Association, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and JustME for JustUS are hosted the Climate&Me Youth Leadership Summit.

To learn more about the summit, visit maine.gov.