Emily Telesco, Features Editor
@etelescocourant
Planet New Canaan, a non-partisan group founded in 2016 by local community members, works to bring awareness to environmental issues through initiatives such as recycling and clean-up programs. Their mission of sustainability and outreach is brought to the high school by the Planet New Canaan Club, led by seniors Grace Driscoll, Kate Kupchak, and Ava Licata. The goal of the club is to educate students on environmental issues and to inspire changes that increase sustainability of the community.
Leaders Grace, Kate and Ava are all members of the Planet New Canaan Youth Board, which inspired them to create the club last fall. “We were hoping to extend our efforts to the High School and offer opportunities to other passionate students to get involved in the sustainability of our school and community,” they said.
The mission of the club aligns with Planet New Canaan’s main goals, which is making the town more environmentally-friendly through education and taking action. “Our mission is to educate our community about environmental issues and inspire action that makes New Canaan High School and our surrounding community a greener and healthier place to live,” said Grace.
The club participates in a wide variety of initiatives, and often partners with other local environmental organizations. “We frequently volunteer with the New Canaan Land Trust, helping with whatever projects they are currently working on,” said Grace. “Some of these include removing invasive species and cleaning and replacing birdhouses at their conservation sites.”
They are also in charge of implementing recycling initiatives throughout the school. “The club manages three bins stationed in the school that are dedicated to the collection of redeemables such as empty bottles and cans,” Ava said. “We work with EyeRecycle to properly recycle these items in exchange for 10 cents a bottle per can.”
There are numerous upcoming events the club is planning to do. “We hope to host a bake sale within the coming weeks in order to raise money for a local environmental organization. The club is also working on the long term goal of installing industrial dishwashers in our cafeteria in order to reduce single use plastics,” Grace said.
The Planet New Canaan club presents a great opportunity for students to collaborate and get involved in creative projects that better the community. If you’re interested in joining, the club meets once a month over zoom, and currently has about 30 members ranging across all four grades.
