In the heat of July, the pool at Martin Luther King Park in Grand Rapids is a popular attraction for students on summer break. Two weeks ago, though, when smoke from Canadian wildfires filled the air and turned outdoor activity into a health hazard, the pool sat empty.
“We could see it. We could smell it. For many of us, we could feel it with every breath,” said Trenton Belton, a rising senior at East Kentwood High School. “I really hit me. I was like, ‘This is not okay.'”
On Monday, Belton and other students gathered with environmental leaders at Martin Luther King Park to call on city, state and federal officials to invest in a future with clean, breathable air.
“I feel like it’s important for us to advocate now,” said Belton, who has a number of family members with upper respiratory conditions, including a grandmother with COPD. “We inherit the decisions made today.”…