On November 3, 2021, teams of 4-7 students from high schools across Central Ohio attended the Teen Eco Summit Launch Day at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

“Teen Eco is a group of students at Olentangy Liberty High School who care about the environment and want to make a positive impact on their community,” says Leah Johnston ‘23, a member of Olentangy Liberty High School’s Teen Eco team.

Every year, Teen Eco teams generate a Conservation Action Plan that when implemented, will have a positive impact on their community’s environment.

“The Conservation Action Plan that we created for the 2021-2022 school year is placing large recycling bags around the school.  We chose this project because Liberty’s recycling program is limited so we wanted to increase the amount of materials that students can recycle while at school.  Also, some students do not have the option to recycle at home so it’s important that they have a place where they can bring recyclable materials.”

These recycling bags will be placed around OLHS in areas such as the Commons and near Student Services.  In this way, all students will have

access to the bags.

“The goal of our project is to spread awareness on the positive impact of recycling,” says Johnston.  “We also think that this could motivate students to start recycling more often.”

By hosting the Teen Eco Summit Day, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium provides students with the opportunity to learn more about leadership, conservation, sustainability, and the skills needed to develop their Conservation Action Plan.

“At the Summit, we heard from multiple guest speakers and walked around the zoo to different stations to learn about the effects of pollution and single use plastic on the environment.  We learned that if we want to help the Earth, we need to start now.  It’s our responsibility to help save the environment.”