Recognizing Matthew Landers

Floor Speech

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Matthew Landers, an elementary school educator at Pleasant Glade Elementary School in Lacey, Washington who empowers his students to be everyday stewards of our environment.

In response to his students' requests to have more of a hands-on role in confronting our climate crisis, Matthew established several programs to encourage composting and recycling on campus. Thanks to Matthew's programs, over 35,000 pounds of food waste have been saved from landfills and over 1,500 pounds of food have been redistributed. Matthew also spearheaded the school's switch from plastic to biodegradable utensils, signaling to students that seemingly small but practical changes can be high-impact solutions. To amplify student activists' voices, Matthew also helped his students present their ideas to supplement ongoing on-campus conversation efforts to the school board.

I'm inspired by Matthew's initiative to ground his students' awareness of environmental issues in actionable avenues for change, and I'm proud to spotlight him and all of the students of Pleasant Glade who have made Lacey cleaner, greener, and better.

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