Brunswick student group aims to spark next generation of environmentalists

 Students from Brunswick High School visit the Schiller Coastal Studies Center at Bowdoin College as part of a new Environmental Youth Leadership program developed with the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. (Courtesy of Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust) BRUNSWICK — Avery Peterson wanted more opportunities to learn about environmental issues and possible solutions. So, she created one — teaming up with the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust to establish an Environmental Youth Leadership Program at her school. In the program’s inaugural year, 12 Brunswick High School students visited local businesses, municipal facilities and research centers and spoke with community members about how the environment informs their jobs and day-to-day lives. “Youth voices matter more than we think,” Peterson said. “People are actually interested to hear what teenagers have to say, and showing up really matters more than we think it does.” Peterson, a junior, recruited interested and environmentally minded peers to pilot the program this school year and contacted the community partners the group would be learning from. The cohort met for field trips once a month during early release days and also held monthly Zoom sessions with scientists and experts in the evenings. In a particularly memorable Zoom call, they learned all about [Maine’s Big Night](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/27/hop-into-big-night-maines-evening-of-amphibian-migration/) from an expert in amphibian migration and monitoring. In designing and executing the program, it came in handy that Peterson’s mom, Sarah Rodgers, is the local land trust’s education and school partnerships program manager. Advertisement The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust [has an established presence in Brunswick’s elementary schools](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/06/12/brunswick-educators-land-trust-partner-to-revamp-science-curriculum/). The Environmental Youth Leadership Program offered an opportunity to involve teens, who can dive a bit deeper into environmental topics, Rodgers said. “When people think about environmental issues, it’s very big and amorphous … it’s very hard to bring it down to the tangible, the local,” Rodgers said. “Like, how is this really playing out in my town and my community, and what can I do about it, and what can other people do about it?” [ Related [Brunswick educators, land trust partner to revamp science curriculum](https://www.pressherald.com/2025/06/12/brunswick-educators-land-trust-partner-to-revamp-science-curriculum/) This year’s field trips included a visit to the Brunswick Public Works Department, where town workers spoke to students about the environmental impacts of road salt and mitigation strategies. Then, they visited Green Bee, a Brunswick-based soda company that implements sustainable practices with a focus on pollinator preservation. In the following months, the students learned about eelgrass restoration at Bowdoin College’s Schiller Coastal Studies Center and talked to people working in farming and aquaculture at Sound Pine Farm and Mere Point Oyster Company. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/BTLT-EYL-Public-Works-salt-facility.jpg) Students in the Brunswick High School Environmental Youth Leadership Program tour Brunswick’s Department of Public Works facility to learn about road salt and its impact on the environment. (Courtesy of Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust) Peterson said the field trips taught her that lots of careers — from public works employee to soda entrepreneur — are tied to the environment. “Everything is impacted by climate change, and everyone’s jobs do take into account that factor,” Peterson said. “It can be really positive to see all the good work people are doing around you.” Advertisement The program was completely opt-in, so students got no school credit for their participation. This just goes to show how passionate and excited the participants were, Peterson and Rodgers said. To wrap up their experience, students created projects focused on one of the issues they learned about. They presented their projects during an event at the Curtis Memorial Library on June 9. For their projects, one student worked with Brunswick’s environmental planner to host a workshop about healthy watersheds and will soon survey high schoolers about their opinions on pesticides. Another took an online training course on Maine Big Night and will help amphibians migrate safely next spring. [ Related [Hop into Big Night, Maine’s evening of amphibian migration](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/03/27/hop-into-big-night-maines-evening-of-amphibian-migration/) Inspired by their visit to Green Bee, Peterson and some peers decided to bring samples of the natural soda to school for their project. The team gave out a survey to taste testers, and found that many students said they were more likely to pick up the drink knowing that it supports pollinators and is produced locally. > [ > > View this post on Instagram > > ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZDJvEXRrwJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) Peterson’s work on the youth leadership program earned her a underclassmen service award this year and had Rick Wilson, BHS extended learning coordinator, describing her as a “total rockstar.” The mom-and-daughter team hope to run the program again next school year, and expand it to even more students. [](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) **The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor **We believe a community must be informed to thrive. [**bowdoin.edu**](https://www.bowdoin.edu/?utm_source=TimesRecord&utm_medium=SupportingSponsorship) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [climate](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/climate/), [environment](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/environment/), [Times Record](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record/), [Times Record News](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/times-record-news/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley) [Katie LangleyStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley) Katie covers Brunswick, Bath and Freeport for the Times Record. She was previously the weekend reporter at the Portland Press Herald and is originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. [More by Katie Langley](https://www.pressherald.com/author/katie-langley)