The Problem
I met Dr. Jane Goodall and she asked me to expand my project to plastic pollution. She said if we don’t change there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. I had an idea to help so I started cleaning the Ballona Wetlands and Ballona Creek. I started to learn about the dangers of plastic pollution and how it is hurting other animals and people too. I also met pen pals around the world. They told me in Africa many people do not have clean water to drink so they drink plastic bottled water. And they have very little or no recycling centers so people illegally dump their plastic bottles and it goes into the rivers and oceans.
Our Plan
All the plastic is creating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. AND IT IS HUGE! The Patch is over 600,000 sq miles which is an area twice the size of Texas. 160,000,000 Pounds of Plastic Floats in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. That is Equal to 500 Jumbo Jets! Rivers are the main source of ocean plastic pollution. 1,000 rivers are responsible for roughly 80% of the pollution. It is estimated that 1.15 to 2.41 million tons of plastic are entering the ocean each year from rivers. When I learned about The Interceptor I thought it was a GREAT START. I am working with Team Seas and The Interceptor Trash Cleaning Boat. Each dollar I raise collects one pound of trash and plastic from our rivers, beaches, and oceans. Right now we have raised $1,000- that’s 1,000 pounds of trash cleaned up. (May 2024)
