Zachary Hartman

Zach Hartman, an environmental changemaker, was inspired at the age of 7 while completing his household chore of taking out the trash. He noticed that people were discarding items that could be reused, recycled, or upcycled. This realization sparked his passion project, Zach’s Planet. Three years later, he joined forces with his older brother to establish Eco Brothers, a nonprofit organization. Together, they have salvaged 150,000 used books and distributed them to local students in Title 1 schools and Little Free Libraries across all 50 states. Zach has also conducted sewing workshops, teaching children how to transform unwanted, used stuffed animals into pet toys. Six thousand toys have been shipped to animal shelters and rescues in 46 states. On weekends, he can be found leading beach cleanups in Florida, working with a team of fellow students to keep plastic out of the ocean.

Zach is a sophomore and the Underclassman Representative in his school’s Student Government and the Hillsborough County Youth Leadership Council. He’s a member of the National Beta Club, Key Club, swim team and a Life Scout in Scouts BSA, working toward the rank of Eagle.