The "Bag Kids"

Katie Gougelet (Hanover High School sophomore): "Working with my awesome environmentally conscious friends, helping the environment, and truly making a difference in our community have made the bag project one of the most valuable experiences of my life. Though what we are doing with this project is only a small contribution to the enormous effort it will take to thwart global warming, it is important to realize that every little bit counts. This project has made me feel much more optimistic about the world that we will leave behind for future generations, and I hope that our success will empower others to do their part for our planet".

Jennifer Helble (Hanover High School sophomore): "I joined the green bag group because I thought it was a neat thing to do. I had to admit that at first I was pretty doubtful that we would succeed in our mission, but as it turns out, we went way beyond our goal! I think the most interesting thing that I have learned is that paper bags are worse-create more pollution-than plastic bags. I think the project has really sped up since last year, and we've gotten so much accomplished in the last few months it's amazing.

Ellen Irwin ( Hanover High School sophomore) After spending four months in Australia, my family had really gotten into the habit of using these great, green bags. Upon returning to the United States, we realized that it would be really great if we could get our town to use them too! So I called some of my amazing friends, and the project just took off from there. This project has gone above and beyond my expectations --in the beginning, our final goal was just to get our local grocery store to stock the bags! I have learned so much through this project--how paper bags create way more pollutants than do plastic, how to market "green" items, and how kids really can make a difference. Even now, when I see random people in the street using the green bags, it makes me smile, because our group started that!

Brian Kispert ( Hanover High School sophomore): The green bag project is a small way that I can make a difference in this world that is facing so many environmental challenges. It has been hard work, but our persistence has paid off.

Kyle van Leer (Hanover High School junior): "I joined the green bag group because I knew that something had to be done about the environment. Obviously, I wasn't going to discover the alternate fuel source, but I knew that I would be able to make a difference through spreading the use of reusable bags. The most interesting thing I have learned is probably how awful plastic bags are during their degradation process. Another really interesting thing that I have witnessed is how people are willing to find other ways to help the environment -- all they need is a push to get them going. I am so proud of the whole group, the project has gone farther than I had ever imagined. I was skeptical that our town would pick it up, let alone the whole state! Overall, I am very happy with the project and can't wait to see where it takes me.

Website designer

Axel Hansen (Hanover High School junior): I design the website for Kids for a Cooler Planet to help them expand their project from a community project to a large-scale one. I love computer science and take every opportunity I get to work with computers in some way -- this site is a great way for me to funnel my knowledge into a project that will help the environment.

Many thanks to our adult volunteer advisors and project supporters: