On a brisk fall day, the smell of leaves in the air and the Halloween vibe still around, freshman Luna Hansen sits at a table in Barnes & Noble with vibrant pages in front of her and a marker in her hand. With a steady flow coming in and out to talk to Luna about her book, Luna felt a sense of pride and was inspired that people were coming to learn more about her novel. The pages depict the environment and the changes that have happened to our climate. With vibrant fruits and vegetables that try to help decrease food waste, and our world on fire needing people’s help, the illustrations and writing are proposing everyday choices that can combat global warming. One page in particular caught my eye: a bucket that is superfluous with single use items that I use on a daily basis, showing me that I should make more conscious decisions.
Although shy, and only 14 years old, Luna is making a difference, becoming a young activist through her illustrations. After living in Denmark and finding her inspiration, she has co-written and illustrated a children’s book with her mom, “A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism.” The book, targeted to a middle school audience, is informative on the environment while also being fun and colorful. Luna is teaching people like you and I how to help our environment.
When I first sat down with Luna, I noticed her brown sweater and her skirt that had seashells and an oceany vibe to it, which added to the conversation we were about to have about the environment.
I was curious how long she has had a passion towards the environment. “I feel like forever,” she said, chuckling. “My parents have always really loved the environment, and we’ve always been out in the environment a lot.” When her family moved to Denmark for two years in 2021, they found out how to care for the environment.
Luna explained to me that in the green country of Denmark, everyone is focused on caring for the environment and there are windmills everywhere you turn. This interested Luna and her family because it was very different from the U.S. “Everyone’s recycling and composting,” she said. “It really impacted us when we came back here because we saw a lot of people don’t really do that.”
When Luna and her family moved to Farmington in 2023, they adapted this lifestyle to an American setting, using reusable towels and bars of soap as well as connecting with nature. One of Luna’s friends, freshman Ava Brighthaupt, told me about a time when she was inspired by Luna and saw her making a difference at Starbucks. “One time we went to Starbucks, and she filled her water bottle with the Starbucks drink instead of using the plastic cups,” Ava said.
Even in class, Luna is thinking about the environment. Luna’s environmental science teacher, Graham Hegeman, described class with Luna. “She has often spoken up in support of the environment,” Mr. Hegeman said. “Particularly in the first couple of days, when she specifically mentioned some environmental problems that I would not expect a ninth-grader to know about.”
I can second this statement; no other freshman knows so much and speaks so passionately about the environment. Ava has even compared her to her other friends in this way, mentioning she is more mindful about the environment in comparison.
Luna and her family do so many little things to help change the planet; however, Luna’s mom wanted to do something bigger: write a children’s book with her daughter at her side. When her mom posed the idea, Luna was hesitant at first, mentioning she felt a little nervous that people would see her drawings. “I still kind of feel that way,” she said, “but also, I know that it’s getting out to audiences and for people to understand better what they can do for the climate. So that’s all that matters to me.”
Luna is an experienced artist doing camps since she was six, and it definitely shows in her illustrations. She uses a variety of approaches including watercolor and acrylic paints, but one medium is more environmentally friendly than the rest: collaging. Luna used recycled newspapers and magazines to create some of her art. Ava loved the art when she first saw it. “They’re really colorful,” she said. “She takes famous artwork and adds ecosystem elements like trash or plants or recyclables.”
Luna spoke about these renditions of famous art pieces. “So one of them was ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring,’ and I made her into Mother Earth,” Luna said, “and she’s kind of crying because she was sad that the Earth was dying.” She also did a revamp of a Van Gogh classic. “I also had ‘Starry Night,’ but it was like the earth was on fire, and it was garbage everywhere.” The book not only shows what is happening to the environment but also how to help it. “I think her book provides a lot of new ways of recycling and organizing your life and what you should do to help the environment,” Ava affirmed. Ava also talked about how Luna brought this message to the release party in Farmington.
Luna, going into the event, was excited to share her new book with her closest family and friends. In order to do so, she hosted a scavenger hunt and bingo. Ava described the fun she had during the scavenger hunt. “So basically, she had pages of her book distributed all across this maze, and then you would have to walk across this field to find them and it was pretty cool,” Ava said.
While playing bingo was fun and competitive, Ava noticed that it included ways to help the ecosystem and environment as well. Even as the guests left, Luna handed out party favors: seeds to plant trees, fruits and vegetables. Clearly, everything Luna does has the environment in mind. She even mentioned human actions that make her upset. “It definitely, like, hurts me when I see someone throw something out of their car window,” Luna said. “Or I see someone just walking and they just litter. Because to me, I just don’t understand how people like, don’t see what they’re doing.”
The environment is something that really matters to Luna and her family, and their book is just a way for them to express it. Ava knows how much it means to them. “The book is like one of her family’s pride and joy,” she said. “Her whole entire family, they love it.” It is great that they love it because it sure is making an impact.
Luna seemed excited to talk about her book, and at the book signing someone was even more excited to see it. In between trying to figure out her signature and shaking out the nerves about people seeing her art, Luna met one little fan. Luna loved seeing this tiny fan. “I was really happy this one girl came up, and she was like, ‘I came here for your book,” Luna proudly stated, “and she didn’t even look through it. She just wanted to buy it.” This was very heartwarming for Luna. “I thought that was really sweet,” she said with a smile. “Also, she was very interested in art, and I just thought that it was interesting that you can both inspire someone with art and to help the planet.”
Luna is even impacting her teachers at KO. Mr. Hegeman has been blown away by Luna. “I think that it is just so cool!” he said. “I think it just goes to show that anybody who puts their mind to something and follows through can make things happen.”
Luna is a Wyvern on an impressive path, and there is even more to come. “We do have another book coming about economic activism for the climate,” Luna noted. I know I will be grabbing myself a copy and trying to further my education about climate change and you should too! “A Kids Guide to Climate Activism” is being sold at Barnes & Nobles.
