School Committee Acknowledges Students Who Advocated For Plastic Ban Bylaw

SUDBURY, MA—The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee this week acknowledged the student members of the Lincoln-Sudbury High School Environmental Club who studied, advocated for and presented two citizens' petitions to Sudbury's Annual Town Meeting, which was held on May 2.

One of these petitions proposed a new bylaw to prevent distribution of thin-film handled plastic bags at retail stores in Sudbury, said the announcement. The other petition proposed a ban on sale of single-serve plastic water bottles by Sudbury town merchants.

"The students argued that these by-laws were needed to address the environmental costs of the creation and disposal of these forms of plastic waste," said the School Committee in a press release. "After robust discussion, both bylaws passed by a significant majority."

The Environmental Club now plans to collaborate with Sustainable Sudbury to educate the public and merchants in Sudbury about the new bylaws, which will go into effect on July 1, 2018. The Environmental Club also plans to propose similar bylaw amendments in the Town of Lincoln at its next Town Meeting.

Members of the Environmental Club who presented at Sudbury Town Meeting were Cecilia Barnes ('17), Lucy Bergeron ('18), Elizabeth Concannon ('17), Julia Concannon ('19), Anjuli Das ('20), Nicole Garay ('19), Elizabeth Kaufman ('17) and Kerstin Kelly ('19). Eleanor Burke, an Associate Principal at Lincoln-Sudbury, and Chris Collins, an Earth and Environmental Science teacher at the high school, are the faculty sponsors of the club.

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