After helping organize and host the Youth Engagement Summit for the sophomores last week, today marks the start of WEP for me. I am working with Ms. Patty Cervenka, a former CA parent, and the organization she is involved in, Toward Zero Waste. Toward Zero Waste (TZW) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on helping individuals, families, and communities in North Carolina move toward zero waste. TZW also partners with Ms. Cervenka’s own organization, Greenish Neighbor, on a “Green Business Directory“, which highlights local restaurants and shops that are eco-friendly.
My morning consisted of a Zoom meeting with Ms. Cervenka, who serves on the Board of Directors of TZW, Ms. Dargon Gilmore, Co-Founder, and Ms. Andrea Rushing, Community Director. Despite the “laundry-list” of duties and many stresses that come with running a nonprofit, all three ladies were very laid-back and welcoming. Together, we brainstormed for the upcoming month of “Plastic Free July”, which will feature a series of events including challenges, documentary screenings, awareness initiatives, social media shout-outs, and more. For this occasion, the Green Business Directory (see above) will also feature businesses that do a particularly good job at reducing plastic waste.
I’ve deduced that nonprofits like this one seem to have endless amounts of work, a phenomenon that does not exclude even rookies like me. I have already been assigned a list of tasks that I am excited to carry out: researching how past organizations have run Plastic Free July, looking into the House Bill titled “Break Free from Plastic” and how to advocate for it, helping coordinate a student poster contest, and identifying plastic-waste-reducing businesses to spotlight on the organization’s Instagram. Fun stuff!
In short, today has been a day of many firsts: first day of WEP, first day in a volunteer organization, and surprisingly enough, first day working with an environmental organization outside of school. I have enjoyed meeting the people of TZW and I am looking forward to the rest of the week and beyond!