On Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Residents Forward will host its fourth Youth Climate Summit at the Port Washington Public Library. Workshops and panelists will lead discussions on sustainability issues like circular fashion, drinking water and waste reduction.
Along with hearing from environmental leaders, students can participate in workshops and create their own Climate Action Projects.
Speakers on the circular fashion panel include Stacey Saltzman of the Port Washington studio My Style Camp, Haley Lieberman of the tech company ClimateHaven and Lexie Sachs of the Good Housekeeping Institute.
During the panel, students will learn about replacing linear fashion models with circular ones to reduce waste.
“The linear model promotes mass production and consumption of clothing made from fossil fuel based materials that are not designed to be reused or recycled. We will explore the negative impacts of these textiles as many end up in landfills or incinerators,” the Residents Forward website said.
Water specialist Sarah Meyland, planner Dan Yannaccone, and Brian Schneider of the US Geological Survey will host the “WaterVision” panel, which will discuss challenges in local drinking water, such as pollution and overuse. The panelists will also discuss solutions, including conservation strategies, native planting, and sustainable landscaping.
The third panel, “Innovations in Waste Reduction: Less Waste, More Impact,” will feature consultant Michael White, founder of the business Curbside Compost, and founder of the sustainability company Table2Groud, Marjorie Spitz.
Panelists will discuss where waste goes after leaving the curbside, teach about food and residential waste management innovations, and discuss how to reduce personal waste.
Another workshop for students will focus on college majors and career pathways in sustainability fields. Speakers from Columbia University and Farmingdale State College will connect the attendees’ goals with potential future jobs and colleges.
The Youth Climate Summit Student Planning Committee, led by Weber Middle School science teacher Kelsey Heyne, has been planning the climate event for over seven months.
Projects launched from previous Youth Climate Summits include The Climate Awareness Garden at Schreiber High School, where students grew a “square foot” vegetable garden and donated the food to food insecure people, and “The Bus is For US,” which provided 10 free public bus rides for students during Earth Month in April.
Although registration has closed, to learn more about Residents Forward’s work, visit www.residentsforward.org.
