Young people looking to make sure they’re growing up in a greener, more sustainable world aren’t waiting around for grown-ups to lead the way. In Montgomery County, Maryland, two student-led groups are coming together to tackle climate change and nutrition all on their own.
Lumina Zhang, co-founder and co-president of Eco MoCo, is a senior at Winston Churchill High School. The 17-year-old said the idea of creating a nonprofit to tackle climate change came about two years ago.
The key was making sure it was made up of — and led by — young people. It’s not about getting mad or guilt-tripping older generations, Zhang said.
“I think what’s more important right now is taking action,” she added.
And that’s been a guiding principle among members.
Eco MoCo was among the groups that supported a bill to require all-electric building standards for new construction in Montgomery County. The bill, which passed unanimously, takes effect Dec. 31, 2026.
Zhang said education is also important, and the young members of Eco MoCo work with students in middle and elementary schools as well.
“This is really about creating a long-term impact, so that even in future generations, we can still continue this momentum toward a greener future,” Zhang said.
The students in Eco MoCo aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty either. They have done numerous trash pickups and other activities. This year, said Zhang, the hope is to hold a cleanup once a week in communities across Montgomery County and elsewhere in the region.
Eco MoCo’s latest project includes a focus on nutrition and environmentalism.
Zhang told WTOP that Eco MoCo has teamed up with another student-led organization, Food to Flourish, to create a cookbook that looks at the connection between the environment and nutrition.
The book will be a combination of recipes and activity pages, said Zhang.
“It’s going to feature a bunch of recipes that are sustainable. And so there’s an opportunity for students to create a recipe or coloring page and interactive activity and have it published in the book,” she said.
Submissions are due Sept. 7 and can be made online.
Zhang said she became aware of just how much of an impact Eco MoCo was making at an event in Wheaton Regional Park.
“We basically set up a bunch of tables. We taught the kids there how to repurpose trash to create art,” she said. “I just remember there was this parent that came up to me and they told me that this was the first time that they had ever seen environmental education in their community.”
Zhang said the grown-ups were “so, so surprised that it was students who were leading it all.”
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