New Student-Run Environmental Group Pelham Eliminates Plastic Encourages Awareness

Charlotte Edmunds, Junior, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Members of younger generations have heard these words over and over again. Despite the fact that this saying is ingrained in the minds of many, it is easy to brush off environmental awareness. Recently, Pelhamites have taken a stand against environmental ignorance, calling upon their neighbors to take initiative to better the world around them.

The push to engage the Pelican community in an environmentally friendly movement was sparked by Lauren Kennedy, a Pelham resident who wrote an eight-page article titled, “Meet 13 Ocean Heroes Fighting to Save Our Seas” for the November issue of Coastal Living Magazine. Kennedy’s piece features singer/songwriter/environmentalist Jack Johnson, and warns of the dangerous increase of plastic waste that currently damages oceans and harms marine life.

Kennedy, who was inspired by two teenage sisters from Bali who successfully founded the organization “Bye Bye Plastic Bags”, decided to reach out to Pelham youth with the idea of making a difference at home by launching a group called Pelham Eliminates Plastic (PEP).
“Kid power is potent stuff,” Kennedy said, “So I wanted to find out if any PMHS students were up for harnessing it to make change in their own community.”
Science Research teacher Mr. Beltecas helped Kennedy to recruit students from the Environmental Science Club to be a part of PEP. PEP is now run by a core group of nine students, and its membership is ever growing.

According to Kennedy, PEP’s mission is “to empower young people in Pelham to advocate for the elimination or significant reduction of single-use plastics among local consumers and business owners, and to educate parents, neighbors and friends about the effects of plastic use on our threatened oceans- and ourselves.” PEP members outline easy ways for their peers to reduce and refuse single-use plastic consumption in the #PEPpledge. Those who vow to follow the oath promise to try their best to reduce the use of a variety of different plastic products. On October 13, PEP successfully sponsored a screening of Jack Johnson’s documentary, Smog of the Sea, which warns about the harmful effects that plastic can have on the world’s oceans.

“After viewing the documentary, I felt inspired to be apart of the PEP initiative and take the PEP pledge,” junior Kimberly Rosell says. She was so moved by the film that she decided to join the PEP organization. Eventually, PEP members hope to take legal action and work with organizations in order to achieve their goals. They are currently working on solidifying their social media and outreach techniques to make this possible.

Junior Violet Massie-Vereker, a staunch PEP member, explained, “I joined [PEP] not only because environmental issues are at the forefront of my concern, but I also think that eliminating single use plastics in Pelham is entirely feasible and would benefit this community tremendously.”

Though concentrating on the Pelham community, PEP members are hoping that the initiatives and ideas that fuel their group will spread far and wide.