You may have watched Phyllis Theermann standing outside Wellesley Town Hall on a Friday afternoon waving an “I love the Earth” placard. You may have watched her being interviewed on TV about Wellesley’s new fine for idling cars. You may have seen her planting a garden at the Sprague School or, more recently, on a Zoom call with a Dana Hall student about how the fast fashion fad is cluttering the world with wear-and-toss clothing.

Theermann is president of Sustainable Wellesley, a grassroots organization that she helped found a decade ago. Today, she estimates the nonprofit has reached 40 percent of Wellesley residents through its programs and its free e-newsletter, which goes out to nearly 5,000 subscribers.

But while Theermann now spends nearly all her spare time advocating for the planet, until 15 years ago she did not give the environment more than a passing thought…

Read our interview with Theermann in the Digital Issue of the  Fall 2021 Issue of WellesleyWeston Magazine.