“The CELF Expo was a truly wonderful experience for me and my students. I was so proud of my 7th graders and how they passionately showed off their work, enthusiastically explaining things to an endless stream of visitors to our table. They all had ample opportunity to explore the rest of the EXPO, returning to me with squeals of delight every time they found something new and interesting. I knew it was a successful night when all of them sang at the top of their lungs, all the way home on the bus!

~Johanna Mustacchi, Media Literacy Teacher
Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School, Croton-on-Hudson

"I had a lot of great moments last night at the expo, talking with vendors, students, teachers, and just meeting friendly people, including Peter.  Congratulations on pulling off that amazing gathering of sustainable thinkers and doers. Our students enjoyed connecting with other students. Near the end of the evening they began to pour out ideas about sustainability at Hackley. It seemed to be the perfect environment for them to gather their thoughts and express their own perspectives on our joint efforts.  Thanks for the great opportunity to participate."

~Anne Gatschet, Teacher & Sustainability Coordiator
The Hackley School, Tarrytown

"We really enjoyed presenting at CELF this year, and my report to KidWind on your expo reflected that I think the new format and time is a move in the right direction.  We were able to spend more time interacting with the students in an authentic way, the teachers seemed to be more relaxed and open for discussion, rather than in student-management mode, and there was time to interact with interested community members and other exhibitors, allowing for those interested in working together towards a sustainable future, to connect and grow their resource and knowledge base.

Bravo for a great expo this year, and best of luck with next year's expo planning.  I do hope we have the opportunity to present again next year." 

~Lynda Elie, KidWind

"You pulled off an exciting, successful EXPO and it was no easy task moving to an evening program. I got a real good feeling from exhibitors and visitors alike. Thank you for sharing the limelight with GSCW and helping us pull off a very important GSCW Spring Membership Conference. We all know the benefits of exposing many new folks to the power of the CELF Students' Sustainability EXPO. I was very impressed with the high caliber of the student exhibits and the high level of the young peoples’ presenting skills. Thanks and congratulations to all of you."

~Dennis J. Power, Director of Program Development Department of Environmental Facilities, Westchester County

"This is the third year that I have personally participated in the CELF Expo and I have always found the event to be well organized. The staff does an excellent job of communicating with both vendors and attendees. The crowd was certainly different as a result of the change to evening hours. But I wouldn't necessarily say it was better or worse than in previous years.

Energy is not exactly a flashy topic. Because of this, it is rare to find a crowd of students so interested and knowledgeable regarding energy issues (e.g. CFLs, renewable energy, biofuels, etc.). The fact that the students who attend the CELF expo are so tuned in to these issues - especially compared to what I would have known about energy when I was in middle or high school - has made this event a memorable experience every time that I've participated.

~Con Ed

"On behalf of the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board I would like to congratulate you on the CELF Expo at Pace last evening. It was a very successful event. We were pleased with the big turn out and the traffic and attention we got at our town table.

You and your associates clearly put in a tremendous amount of work and it all paid off. So again, congratulations on a job well done and we look forward to doing other similar events with you in the future."

~Michael Drillinger, Chairperson
New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board

Thank you so much for your hard work organizing and managing the EXPO and Conference. It was a tremendous success. Thank you for inviting the Green Schools Coalition of Westchester to co-host the event with you."

Steven Frantz, Director
Green Schools Coalition of Westchester

Photo credits:

Todd Shapera Photography

Maddie Ginsberg