My Mission:
Making an Impact
Hailing from Apex, North Carolina, Colleen aims to empower her community and effect positive change through tireless advocacy, outreach, and connection. From environmental initiatives to youth empowerment projects, each endeavor is driven by a shared vision of building a brighter, more inclusive future.
Planet Youth
Planet Youth is a registered North Carolina nonprofit founded by Colleen McDermott with a clear mission: to empower our youth to be pioneers of change for our planet by giving them the necessary tools and confidence to do so.
Planet Youth works with various organizations including the Crayon Initiative and TerraCycle, has a nationwide media presence through the podcast GreenTeens, and is immersed into classroom curriculum by introducing educational tools through the Love Earth: Children's Book series. These key avenues all look to create a nationwide domino effect within our youth to strengthen environmental awareness and advocacy in our next generation of leaders and changemakers.
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The Crayon Initiative
The Crayon Initiative Organization brings happiness to children who are facing the stress of hospitalization by giving them the freedom that comes with creative play, all while keeping petroleum wax out of our landfills. Planet Youth works with them to bring this environmental service to North Carolina, and has collected 12,500 crayons for recycling thus far by placing over 50 collection boxes in preschools, restaurants, and community centers. This initiative looks to introduce young kids to ways they can make an environmental impact while simultaneously bringing joy to children's hospitals across the nation.
The Glam Cycle Project
Every year, 120 billion units of trash is produced from beauty products. The GlamCycle Project looks to lower this statistic by working with TerraCycle and utilizing their makeup recycling bins, distributing them in dance studios, businesses, and more across the state. GlamCycle looks to get teens involved in the environmental movement in a fun, relevant, and innovative way!
Green Teens Podcast
The GreenTeens podcast is for TEENS by a TEEN! GreenTeens empowers teens to take action for our planet through inspiring stories so teens can #BeTheChange! The GreenTeens podcast was started by Colleen McDermott with the intent of creating a modern day platform where teens could be immersed into the world of environmental advocacy through listening to their influential and inspiring peers. GreenTeens is readily available on both Spotify and Apple podcasts.