A longstanding partnership between Residents Forward, the Port Washington Community Chest and Tweezerman is helping shape environmental education programs that engage local students from elementary school through high school, including a youth-led climate summit and hands-on watershed studies.
Residents Forward is a nonprofit organization in Port Washington with a mission to inspire and unite local residents to advance the beauty, sustainability, resiliency and vibrancy of the Port Washington peninsula. They pursue this through community advocacy, environmental education, and beautification projects.
Beginning in 2023, the Community Chest of Port Washington and Tweezerman have jointly awarded Residents Forward an Environmental Heroes Grant, supporting the organization’s Youth Climate Summit and its Third Grade Baxter’s Pond Study.
The collaboration has expanded Residents Forward’s ability to invest in youth-focused environmental education and climate action.
Mindy Germain, Residents Forward vice president and director of environmental education, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to preparing the next generation to address environmental challenges.
“Investing in the next generation is so important when it comes to climate action because they are the future,” Germain said. “I’m watching firsthand how that investment is opening up minds and driving action that I’m confident will make an impact.”
One of the most visible outcomes of that support is the annual Youth Climate Summit, most recently held March 29 at the Port Washington Public Library. More than 100 students, educators and community members attended the daylong event, which featured a keynote address by youth climate activist Maggie Handelman, student-led workshops and collaborative climate action planning.
Among the summit’s workshops was “WaterVision,” a program that has since grown into an ongoing student initiative focused on the long-term sustainability of the region’s drinking water supply.
Germain, who also serves as a Port Washington water commissioner and sits on New York State’s Drinking Water Sustainability Advisory Committee, leads the project alongside two other adult mentors and about a dozen middle and high school students.
The students are examining how current water-use practices could affect drinking water through 2050 and identifying actions that could be taken in the next five years to prevent future shortages. They have conducted research and consulted experts in water science, hydrology and sustainable landscape design.
“They’ve decided to create what we’re calling a ‘TED-ish’ talk,” Germain said. “It’s short, engaging and action-oriented, and it’s designed to spark dialogue.”
The presentation, which uses the theme of protecting New York’s drinking water to “save the New York bagel,” is scheduled to debut on Earth Day, April 22, at Landmark on Main Street. Students plan to present the talk to elected officials, community organizations and local audiences.
Other post Youth Climate Summit projects include: Port Washington Clothing Swap Event, which is aimed at middle and high school students to provide a venue for students to bring clothes they no longer wear and go home with some new items. The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Community Chest Building 382 Main St.; Oyster Gardening, a group working on creating a vacation workshop program for the Port Washington Public Library about the life cycle of an oyster and how they benefit our local waterways; and Beauty Back, a recycling collection campaign for beauty products focusing on the top five beauty products that students use to see if they are really “clean” products.
Another cornerstone program supported through the partnership is the Third Grade Baxter’s Pond Study, an hourlong field program offered in collaboration with the Alley Pond Environmental Center.
All third-grade students from Port Washington’s five elementary schools visit Baxter’s Pond, where they learn about ecosystems, pollution and the impact of runoff on local waterways.
Germain said the hands-on experience frequently serves as an entry point for continued student involvement.
“That third-grade program is often the moment where something clicks,” she said. “We see those students later at cleanups, at climate summits and in other programs.”
Robert Keller, executive director of the Port Washington Community Chest, said Residents Forward has been one of the organization’s core grantees for years.
“They’re one of the pre-eminent environmental organizations in Port Washington,” Keller said. “The Youth Climate Summit is one of the best environmental events that occurs in our town, and it’s exciting to see kids that committed to environmental projects.”
Keller said the partnership with Tweezerman, launched about four years ago, allowed the Community Chest to deepen its support for environmental programming through what became the Tweezerman Environmental Heroes program.
“Tweezerman takes its sustainability goals very seriously and is incredibly committed to this town,” Keller said. “That partnership has allowed us to expand our impact and raise awareness of environmental programming and sustainability goals in Port Washington.”
Efforts to reach Juergen Bosse, Tweezerman’s chief executive officer, were unavailing.
Patricia Class, executive director of Residents Forward, said they are grateful for the continued support of both organizations, noting that the partnership has helped sustain programs that connect classroom learning to real-world environmental challenges.
“We’re lucky to have businesses and community organizations that are looking beyond their own walls and investing in the places where they live,” Germain said.
