The Environmental Commission works to maintain sustainable practices within the community that not only promote a healthier environment but also a healthier community. It aims to spread awareness about issues such as climate change, recycling, and pollution. The committee also reaches out to schools and other local institutions to involve the youth in their movement. I met with Mary Reese and Lauren Wasilauski, who helped me better understand our committee’s goals in the present and the future. I learned about how I, as an individual, can contribute. As a member of the YLC, and as a student of the Montgomery school district, I can help the Environmental commission with outreach to my peers about learning more about the organization sustainable jersey, which often works with our committee. Mary and Lauren helped me realize how important my role is in appealing to a younger audience, getting info out to the public, and recruiting younger volunteers for environmental events, such as Earth Day festivals and river cleanups.
     Something that surprised me about the Environmental Commission was its interest in involving the youth and schools. The commission wants to cultivate a cooperative relationship with the schools to make caring for the environment a collective goal. I wasn’t aware that the commission had been in contact with Montgomery Townships Superintendent in the past, and that the efforts of its members were very much so present in the daily lives of students today. For instance, the solar panels in the fields located next to the highschool provide classrooms with electricity. Also, the recycling system put into place in all the schools within the district helps to reduce material waste. These changes are the result of years of communication with the school district. I was also surprised to learn that Committees do communicate and work with one another fairly often. For example, both the Environmental Commission and the Deer Management collaborate to address invasive species within Montgomery communicating about the possibility of hiring the White Buffalo company to run its wildlife management program in the area.
     At the moment, the Environmental Commission is working on passingly environment-friendly legislation and further involving the community during the pandemic. This would include discussing legislation on the national level, such as the Carbon Dividend Act, which would offer fair and sustainable practices to reduce carbon emissions, as well as a Plastic Bag Ban on the state level which would reduce plastic waste and an invasives ordinance to deal with very invasive plant species like bamboo. Volunteer participation opportunities could be offered in the form of workshops and webinars, teaching people about the use of rain barrels and pollination gardens at home.
     Some ideas that I have for the Environmental commission relate to a stronger relationship between the commission and YLC as a group. YLC’s access to younger volunteers, social media, a website, and a “trendy” perspective would be one step to help the commission reach its goal of involving the youth. The social media and website could help with advocating for advertising events, and showcasing the Environmental Commission’s achievements. Members of the YLC could also do the same, personally reaching out to their friends and family. Also, the commission seeks to have the community be more accepting of legislation such as the Plastic Bag ban, which may prove inconvenient to some. So, the YLC as a whole can work to spread information on how such changes have benefits that often outweigh these small disruptions in daily life. Other students can get involved with the Environmental Commission by applying to YLC next year to directly interact with the commission as a YLC representative. They can volunteer at events mentioned before, such as the Earth Day Festival and the Annual River Cleanup, which brings together different districts in a collective effort towards reducing water pollution. Also, They can participate in the aforementioned Sustainable Jersey within school, as the organization aims to support community efforts to combat climate change and improve environmental equity.