Celebrating our 2025/2026 TTPW Internship Program

This has been a remarkable year for the Transition Town Port Washington Youth Activists. From the halls of Albany to the natural habitats of the Port Washington Peninsula, our students showed up, spoke out, and made lasting change — in our school district, our community, and across New York State.

A Victory Four Years in the Making

After four years of persistent advocacy — meeting with Aramark, sitting with district administrators, and attending school board meetings — the Port Washington School District has committed to transitioning to all-paper, PFAS-free dishware in every school cafeteria by next school year, and to taking other important steps to reduce single-use plastics in our cafeterias. 

This victory belongs to our youth activists, who refused to give up. Over the years, they organized Plastic Free Lunch Days and delivered presentations to students throughout the grade schools. Their persistence and dedication finally paid off.

Beyond the Bin: The Journey and Impact of Our Waste

This spring, our students hosted a powerful community presentation at the Port Washington Public Library on the far-reaching consequences of plastic production, use, and disposal — from environmental degradation and public health impacts to the disproportionate burden placed on vulnerable communities. Central to the conversation was waste incineration, often marketed as "waste-to-energy," a practice that shifts the burden of our trash onto those least able to push back.

Guest speaker Monique Fitzgerald, co-founder of BLARG (Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group), shared her fight to close a landfill receiving ash from incinerators — including one handling Port Washington's waste — located in a community with some of Long Island's highest cancer rates and lowest life expectancy. The event closed with a discussion of actionable steps attendees can take locally and at the state level.

Taking It to Albany

The TTPW Youth Activists  created a comment board gathering high school voices on the urgency of eliminating single-use plastics, then brought it to Albany for a Lobbying Day organized by Beyond Plastics. There, they met with state legislative leaders and advocated for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA).

Nine of our students joined TREEage's Albany Day of Action for the third year in a row, alongside over 1000 youth from across New York State. They were by far the largest group from Long Island. Together, they met with legislative representatives to urge protection and funding for the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act 

Hands in the Soil

Our students also did the important work of ecological restoration this year. They participated in native plant installation at Sands Point Preserve, tackled invasive mugwort removal at the Nassau Museum of Art, and took on English ivy removal at the Science Museum of Long Island  — giving native plants the room to take root and thrive.

Protecting Our Water

Our students worked to educate the community about water protection and why it matters so deeply for life on Long Island. They contributed to a statewide anti-fracking campaign, participated in the Long Island Water Quality Challenge, and presented their advocacy experience at a Water Protection Town Hall hosted by the Long Island Progressive Coalition and the Shinnecock Nation at Stony Brook University. They spoke not just about the issues, but about what it means to show up and sustain a movement over time.

Our Partners

None of this work happened in isolation. Our youth built genuine, ongoing connections with organizations that share their commitment to a healthier and more just world: Beyond Plastics, the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group, the New York Public Interest Research Group, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the Shinnecock Kelp Farmers, TREEage, and the Port Washington Watershed Biodiversity Coalition.

A Note of Gratitude

To our Youth Activists: you didn't just raise awareness this year — you changed policy, restored ecosystems, built coalitions, and showed our community what it looks like to lead with both heart and conviction. We are so proud of everything you have accomplished, and we can't wait to see what we'll achieve together next year.