Two Wootton High School seniors are bringing a student-led environmental nonprofit back to their school.

Eco MoCo co-presidents Mikal Goitom and Audrey Wang are recruiting members and planning monthly meetings and trash cleanups for a revived chapter at Wootton, Common Sense, the school's student newspaper, reported Oct. 30. They also plan to partner with a local library to spread environmental awareness.

Eco MoCo is a nonprofit that aims to build leadership skills in students from kindergarten through 12th grade through environmental education, advocacy and stewardship, according to the organization's website. Its headquarters is in Montgomery County, and it operates chapters across the country.

The organization has completed more than 127 student-led projects across Montgomery County Public Schools, including at middle and elementary schools, Common Sense reported. Eco MoCo says it has influenced more than 10,000 people.

A previous chapter at Wootton had stopped operating. Goitom and Wang decided to rebuild it this school year.

Goitom has been part of the broader Eco MoCo organization for two years. Wang joined last year. Both attend the nonprofit's monthly meetings and their individual department meetings, according to Common Sense. Goitom serves as workshop deputy and Wang as environmental education deputy within Eco MoCo's headquarters structure, the newspaper reported.

The work is personal for both.

"Eco MoCo gave me a way to explore my interest with other students who cared about the same issues," Goitom told Common Sense.

Wang described the hands-on nature of the group's cleanups. "We had trash pickups and you were able to see the tangible difference between trash being there vs. not after you picked it up," she said.

Each Eco MoCo chapter must complete two baseline projects: a trash pickup day and a sustainability presentation, according to Common Sense. The organization also leaves room for chapters to brainstorm alternative projects that fit their school or region.

The organization's founding details differ across sources. Common Sense reported that Eco MoCo first met on April 15, 2022, and was co-founded by Peter Boyko and Lorena Wu. A VoyageBaltimore profile of the organization stated it was founded in 2023 by Lumina Zhang and Peter Boyko. VoyageBaltimore described Boyko as a senior at Northwest High School at the time of its profile. Eco MoCo has cleaned up more than 1,000 pounds of trash since its founding, according to VoyageBaltimore.

The Wootton co-presidents said they hope to exceed the baseline chapter requirements in their first year back, Common Sense reported.