Young Environmental Leaders to Showcase Conservation Projects for the Award-Winning UNLESS Contest

Imagine dedicating one year of your life to a project that would improve the environment. What kind of impact would that make?

K-12 students from Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, took up the challenge by participating in the annual Albert M. Greenfield UNLESS Contest—an award-winning environmental program spearheaded by the Philadelphia Zoo. The contest is a year-long class project focused on conservation that encourages students to create real solutions to environmental issues.

Planet Aid is a proud partner of Newtown Middle School, one of the hundreds of schools who submitted projects for this year's UNLESS Contest. For their UNLESS project, Newtown Middle School's Environmental Action Club held a massive clothing drive in March, resulting in the collection of 1,720 pounds of clothing and shoes, which they chose to donate to Planet Aid.

In appreciation, Planet Aid then donated $200 to the HelpHopeLive project of alumnus Lauren Shevchek, who was paralyzed in a diving accident.

Newtown Middle School has since been selected as one of six finalists in the middle school category.

The closing ceremony for the UNLESS project will be held on May 5 at the Philadelphia Zoo. Newtown Middle School students, and students from 17 other K - 12 finalist schools will be celebrated and awarded for creating compelling campaigns, innovative solutions, and impactful changes on behalf of wildlife.

A fair will also precede the ceremony for participants to showcase their projects to guests.

Planet Aid will be in attendance to cheer on our partner school and support these young environmental leaders.