Newtown High School senior Ella Schmitt recently created an outreach project for the Conservation Commission that went on display for the public to view at the Newtown Municipal Center in late August.

The informative poster, titled “60 Harvests Left: If We Don’t Take Action Now,” features myriad ways people can do their part to help the planet today through simple actions.

Conservation Commission chair Holly Kocet said that the trifold board is “expertly designed and the content shows her passion for the subject.”

The poster educates people about selecting food that is not made with pesticides/harmful chemicals, avoiding foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), selecting 100% grass-fed and finished beef with no antibiotics or growth hormones, and choosing pasture-raised chicken.

She also suggests that people support regenerative agriculture and start their own regenerative gardens.

According to Regeneration International, “Regenerative agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity — resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.”

Ella also included information on her poster about composting food, shopping at the local farmer’s market, and joining thrivemarket.com for sustainable food and products.

She even highlighted different books and documentaries for people to check out to further educate themselves on the topics she introduced in the poster.

When speaking with The Newtown Bee on September 9, Ella said that she has always been very interested in the environment and nutrition, but after her grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, she dove deeper into researching “how to make our lives better.”

All the advice offered on her poster are rules she lives by; she even started her own regenerative garden this summer.

Ella encourages everyone to try at least one item on her poster, because, as she explained, “Taking one small thing on here can make a big difference.”

To view the poster in person, visit the Conservation Commission’s table in the hallway outside the Planning & Zoning Department at the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street.

“If you check out the poster it is quite professionally done, she did a really nice job,” Kocet concluded.

Other young people who are interested in helping the Conservation Commission — whether creating informational materials or organizing a local clean-up day, etc. — can contact Dawn Fried, who is the town clerk for the Conservation Commission meetings, at dawn.fried@newtown-ct.gov.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.