My name is Noah Berman and I am in seventh grade. For my Bar Mitzvah project, I am doing two things. Step one is to get people to sign a petition to get the town to make composting the same as the way they handle recycling and trash (curbside pick-up). Why shouldn’t it? It is just as important. Step two is to educate people about composting and get people to use the Town of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont composting program, even in its current form.

I first became interested in sustainability and caring about the environment when my mom used to work for the NHL, and I went to Take Your Kid To Work Day. There were many activities before and after this, but NHL defenseman and captain Andrew Ference came to talk about his passion for the environment. To be honest, I don’t know why his words inspired me so much, but they did. That sparked a green fire that led to this project, as well as others in the past and others to (hopefully) come.

One big project I have done is related to recycling plastic in my elementary school. In fourth grade, I saw a lot of plastic bags in the trash. I asked how we could recycle them, and the leaders said it wasn’t possible. Being stubborn, I didn’t stop until I found a way. We installed plastic recycling bins at my school and collected the bags. My younger brother says they are still there. I also did my fifth-grade Capstone project on water pollution. I collected the class’s trash for several days and showed how much there was. I also made slides and a posterboard about water pollution.

Other interesting facts about me are: I am a travel hockey goalie and play rec soccer defense. I play the trumpet and the piano. I have a YouTube channel with my brother and friends. You can check it out at “Bermeiss Kids” on YouTube. I am a big brother to one younger brother and two dogs. I care about people. My dad had a stroke in 2013, and I gave up birthday presents for 6 years to raise money for my family’s non-profit organization, where we have raised over $900,000 to help people with brain injuries. I also spend time getting friends in the community to run in a local race to raise awareness and money for brain injuries. This is everything (I can think of for now) about me.