Pelham Eliminates Plastics, also known as PEP, is a student-run environmental activist group in town. PEP’s many initiatives, such as raising awareness about plastic pollution and helping to host Pelham’s Earth Day Festival, have greatly benefited the community. As a member of PEP, I have seen this impact firsthand.

PEP’s most current initiative is to partner with the Pelham Memorial High School environmental science club and the Village of Pelham to clean up Wolfs Lane Park. In this project, high school students pick up litter at the park for community service hours. Data about the type of trash in the park is also being collected; the data will later be analyzed by the environmental science club. The cleanups started on Nov. 22 at 3:11 and will continue every Tuesday for many weeks to come.

Everyone has seen litter at some point in their lives. While litter can seem insignificant, it makes spaces unclean and less welcoming. People should be able to enjoy outdoor spaces without seeing others’ garbage on the ground. Litter also often ends up in waterways and causes pollution. Keeping outdoor spaces clean both makes them more enjoyable and helps the environment.

I believe that this initiative will make Wolfs Lane Park a better place to be, as well as benefit Pelham as a whole. This endeavor will raise awareness about a littering issue in Pelham. Students will see the effects of littering first hand, while also making Wolfs Lane Park cleaner. It will also give students a way to help their planet and community. I know that being able to make an impact through PEP has helped me grow as a person, and I hope this project can help other young people do the same.