Author: sydneyt733

My time today was spent towards the other part of my work experience: planning for my position next year. As the first to serve in the role of Chief Environmental and Sustainability Officer (CESO), I am using this period to thoroughly prepare and receive input from as many parties as possible. This morning, I met with Ms. Cervenka (former leader of PTAA Sustainability Committee), Ms. Mina Lloyd (new leader of PTAA Sustainability Committee), Julia W (new leader of SEEDS), Armita J (former leader of SEEDS), and Ms. Maloy (who we all know and love). It was incredibly helpful to hear the varying perspectives of these two parents, two students, and one teacher as we discussed the topics of composting, solar, connecting the middle school, and more. After this meeting, pictured below, I used my afternoon to prepare for my meeting with Mr. Follet tomorrow, where I will present my plans. I also conducted research on Plastic Free July for my work with Toward Zero Waste, which will likely continue into next week and beyond.

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!