December 7, 2023
PLAN Community! We are continually amazed by what our students and the movement can inspire in a year. At the end of 2023, we are recognizing student perseverance, embracing change & growth, and celebrating all of you that have supported us on this journey. This has been a year of transitions and celebrations for PLAN! Throughout internal structure changes, leadership turnover, revitalizing our programming, and more, the biggest priority for us has been engaging more meaningfully with students. Thank you for joining us in collectively building a world beyond waste.
PLAN turned 10 this Spring! We gathered for a celebration in New Hampshire, where PLAN was founded, with folks who have shaped our org into what it is today. Over the last 10 years, we estimate our programs helped students divert over 12 million pounds of waste from landfill or incinerator and the ripple effect of that work has impacted over 5 million students across the country. This also marked our exciting transition to a Worker Self-Directed Non-Profit.
We hired 8 staff positions! We welcomed an Advising Director, Development Director, Plastic Campaign Manager, Atlas Zero Waste Manager, two Atlas Coordinators, a STOP Fellowship Coordinator, and a Social Media Coordinator — in addition to welcoming 9 new board members! Meet our full staff.
We hosted our annual Students for Zero Waste Conference on a college campus for the first time since 2019! We had students and community members from across the US gather at Swarthmore College for an impactful, reinvigorating weekend. View the 2023 conference recap.
PLAN got a new look and website this year to better support student needs and community-building! We revamped our Community Hub as a space to connect students with each other, our digital resource library, and personalized support on their zero waste campus projects.
PLAN staff visited 25 campuses this year! Two tours of campus visits helped us to reconnect in-person with students and staff after the past years of digital collaboration. We're traveling again next spring; follow along on social media!
This work is made possible by you all. PLAN's Movement Building Fund helps us address financial barriers students face in zero waste work. This fund has provided free attendance to events, reduced membership costs, paid student organizers, and more. There are many ways to support the Student-led Zero Waste Movement, but we deeply appreciate contributions to this fund from those who have the capacity.
