Drenched in sweat as the harsh sun of the southern hemisphere beat down on him, junior Daniel Gros quickly became overwhelmed while rowing on the Rio de la Plata.

It was not the rowing that was the problem because his team’s boat surged smoothly through the water. The problem was the garbage. Gros said he did not notice it at first, only a can or some papers floating past the boat, but then he began to see it more and more. Islands of discarded bottles, plastic bags in all shapes and colors and sludge from the factories upriver floated all around him.

“I was a bit surprised about how ignorant [and] selfish people were, never considering the harmful effects of their actions,” said Gros. “I was disappointed.”

Gros said although he picked up what small pieces of trash in the river he could, he did not do much else for the environment.

A study conducted by YouGov omnibus showed that while the majority of 1,000 American adults thought it was “very important” or “fairly important” to help the environment, a very small percentage of the same test group actually did anything to help.

“[This poll] indicates that when it comes to the environment, Americans don’t walk the talk,” said Char Miller, W.M. Keck professor of environmental analysis at Pomona College. “[We] don’t perceive that there are any real costs to continuing life as we know it.”

According to Gros, he prioritizes most things over helping the environment because he does not see the impact the environment has on him. Preparation for college, participation in clubs and sports and general schoolwork are what he focuses on. The effects of efforts like these lead to immediate improvement in his life, unlike the effects of prioritizing the environment.

Senior Mark Livshots said a lack of knowledge was a factor in his inaction.

According to Livshots, much of the structured environmental education he received was in elementary school, so he forgot what he could do to help.

“[Teenagers] need to become more alert to their consumption patterns [and] become more aware of the consequences of [their] actions on the land, rivers and oceans,” said Miller. “Earth supports us and all species, so it is high time that in turn we care more deeply about this blue planet.”