She’s Saving Our Oceans

    I grew up near the ocean in New Jersey. I always loved going to the beach. I remember lying on the sand as a kid, watching the seabirds circle slowly in the sky. 

    But when I was around 12, I started to notice something: plastic. It was everywhere. 

    Bags floated in the waves. Bottle caps poked up out of the sand.

    All this litter made me wonder: How are humans affecting the beach I love so much—and the animals that call it home?

    I grew up near the ocean in New Jersey. I always loved the beach. As a kid, I would lie on the sand and watch the seabirds in the sky. 

    But when I was around 12, I started to notice something: plastic. It was everywhere.

    Bags floated in the waves. Bottle caps poked up from the sand.

    All this litter made me wonder: How are humans affecting the beach I love—and the animals that live there?

    Growing up near the ocean in New Jersey, I always loved going to the beach. I remember lying on the sand as a kid, watching the seabirds circle slowly in the sky. 

    But when I was around 12, I started to notice something: plastic. It was everywhere. 

    Bags floated in the waves. Bottle caps poked up out of the sand.

    All this litter made me wonder: How are humans affecting the beach I love so much—and the animals that call it home?

    When I was 13, I found out. I had the chance to visit a sea turtle hospital while on a family trip to Florida. It was full of turtles that had been hurt by plastic garbage. 

    Some of these turtles had straws stuck in their noses or throats. Others had lost fins by getting tangled in fishing gear. Many would never be able to live in the wild again.

    I was heartbroken. I realized that these animals had no voice. They couldn’t tell us how humans have affected their lives. 

    Then I decided: I would speak for these creatures. That’s why I’ve spent the past few years educating other kids about plastic pollution.

    When I was 13, I found out. I had the chance to visit a sea turtle hospital in Florida. It was full of turtles that had been hurt by plastic trash.

    Some of the turtles had straws stuck in their noses or throats. Others had lost fins by getting tangled in fishing gear. Many would never be able to live in the wild again.

    I was heartbroken. These animals had no voice. They couldn’t tell us how humans had affected their lives.

    I wanted to speak for these creatures. That’s why I’ve spent the past few years teaching other kids about plastic pollution.

    When I was 13, I found out. During a family trip to Florida, I visited a sea turtle hospital and saw many turtles that had been injured by plastic garbage.

    Some of these turtles had straws stuck in their noses or throats. Others had lost fins by getting tangled in fishing gear. Many would never be able to live in the wild again.

    I was heartbroken. I realized that these animals had no voice. They couldn’t tell us how humans had affected their lives.

    I decided I would speak for these creatures—and that’s why I’ve spent the past few years educating other kids about plastic pollution.

    I used to think of plastic as just a part of daily life. We use it all the time. When you buy a soda at the corner store, it comes in a plastic bottle. The clerk hands it to you in a plastic bag with a plastic straw. That’s three pieces of plastic—just for one drink!

    Things like that straw, bottle, and bag are called single-use plastics. Like their name says, most of them are used only once. Then we throw them away. That’s when the problem really starts.

    When you toss something in the trash, it usually ends up at a landfill. Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose. So that straw that you used for an hour will probably be on the planet long after you’re gone.

    Because plastic is very light, the wind can blow it away from landfills. That’s how so much of it ends up in the ocean.

It’s estimated that 8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year. That’s like a garbage truck dumping a load of plastic into the water every minute!

    When I was younger, I thought of plastic as just a part of daily life. We use it all the time. When you buy a soda at the corner store, it comes in a plastic bottle. The clerk hands it to you in a plastic bag with a plastic straw. That’s three pieces of plastic—just for one drink!

    Items like that straw, bottle, and bag are called single-use plastics. Like their name suggests, these items are typically used only once before we throw them away. And when we dispose of these items, we’re contributing to a serious problem.

    When you toss something in the trash, it usually ends up at a landfill. Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose, so that straw that you used for an hour will probably stick around on the planet long after you’re gone.

    Unfortunately, plastic is so light that the wind can blow it away from landfills. That’s how so much of it ends up polluting the ocean.

    In fact, it’s estimated that 8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year. That’s like a garbage truck dumping a load of plastic into the water every minute! 

    Once I knew how harmful plastic could be, I wanted to help. I decided to get other young people involved. I believe my generation can make big changes happen.

    I hoped to get kids thinking about their impact on the planet early in their lives. So I created a short program for younger students. I teach it through assemblies at elementary schools. At these assemblies, I teach kids about the plastic problem. Then I tell them how they can help.

    At the end, I ask the kids to pledge to avoid plastic. I’ve gotten more than 50,000 people to take that pledge!

    After I learned about how harmful plastic could be, I was determined to do something to help. I realized pretty quickly that I wanted to get other young people involved in my fight. I truly believe that my generation has the power to make big changes happen.

    To get kids thinking about their impact on the planet early in their lives, I created a short program to educate younger students and started teaching it through assemblies at elementary schools. At these assemblies, I clue kids in about the plastic problem. Then I tell them how they can do their part.

    Before I finish, I ask the kids to pledge to avoid plastic. I’ve gotten more than 50,000 people to take that pledge!

    The pledge isn’t just for little kids, though. You can join us too. Here are some easy steps you can take to use less plastic every day.

    Carry a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Buy a metal or bamboo straw if you need to use one. Recycle any plastic you can. Pick up trash when you’re at the beach (or anywhere else). 

    And most important, spread the word. Get people in your life to join you. 

    These might seem like small steps. But together, they can create a giant wave of change.

    The pledge isn’t just for little kids, though. You can join us too. Here are some ways to use less plastic.

    Carry a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Buy a metal or bamboo straw if you need to use one. Recycle any plastic you can. Pick up trash when you’re at the beach (or anywhere else).

    And spread the word. Get people in your life to join you.

    These might seem like small steps. But together, they can lead to big changes. 

    The pledge isn’t just for little kids, though: You can join us too. Here are some simple steps you can take to use less plastic every day.

    Carry a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water. Buy a metal or bamboo straw if you need to use one. Recycle any plastic you can. Pick up trash when you’re at the beach (or anywhere else).

    And most important, spread the word. Encourage other people in your community to be mindful of their use of plastic.

    These might seem like small steps—but together, they can create a gigantic wave of change.