Joining the fight against climate change, Environmental Club members and teachers attended the first Eco Summit of the year at the Columbus Zoo. They collaborated with other Teen Eco Summit teams, heard from speakers and finalized their project plans in the pursuit of a more environmentally conscious world.
Science teacher and Environmental Club adviser Scott Logsdon explained the Eco Summit program is a sustainability initiative run by the Columbus Zoo that encourages schools to pursue eco-friendly projects. Thirty-nine science clubs and classes from different schools were invited to the Eco Summit meeting at the zoo Thursday, Nov. 5 and 6, he said.
“It’s a forum for our members to talk with members from different districts about projects that have been successful at their school,” Logsdon said. “We have a big collaborative meeting each fall, planning and action in the months between, and a presentation meeting in the spring.”
He explained 14 members of the Environmental Club interested in joining Eco Summit were selected and divided into two teams. Team captains and Environmental Club co-presidents seniors Charlotte Holzhall and Anna Whisler also attended, Logsdon said.
Eco Summit participant junior Addyson Schehl said the meeting featured various environmental activists who shared about sustainability initiatives they’ve implemented in Columbus.
Whisler said speakers from the Ohio Wildlife Center spoke to the students about their project. Eco Summit members helped the presenters make squirrel houses for wildlife refuges, she added.
“The houses help the wildlife facilities transport the squirrels, since they get lots of rescue squirrels that they have to release into the wild,” she said.
Schehl said the high school Eco Summit teams already had their project ideas set for the school year, but going to the collaborative meeting gave them insight into other schools’ plans.
“We are going to track the water pH of the environment on the new plot of athletic land, so we could potentially plant new species and expand our garden,” she explained.
“We are also creating a wildlife trail around the community where anyone could walk or spend time.”
Logsdon said last year’s Eco Summit projects were building a native garden at the Cassingham complex and removing invasive plants at Jeffrey Park. Several of the recurring Environmental Club events began as Eco Summit initiatives, Logsdon explained.
“Many of the things we’ve done have been long lasting projects,” he said. “We still host the clothing swap, and the native garden will be there forever.”
The high school’s Eco Summit teams meet in the fall to plan their projects and present what they learned to Environmental Club members to increase interest in the program, Logsdon explained.
“Our members go to the leadership collaborative in the fall, and then bring it back to Environmental Club to get more students involved and help Eco Summit’s mission,” he added.
Whisler said she hopes to receive a grant from the Columbus Zoo to help fund the projects.
She added she wants to turn the projects into a collaboration between Environmental Club, Key Club and National Honor Society in order to get extra assistance from other groups in the school.
Schehl said participating in Eco Summit is a great way to get involved and have a positive impact on the community.
“We strive to make beneficial changes in the environment around us,” she said. “I think that inspires others to do what they can to help and take on opportunities in their communities.”
Published and digitized December 2025.
