Two Teens Share Their Dedication For Saving the Environment

There are many challenges facing the future health of our environment, and obviously, no quick solution on the horizon. However, people are actively working together all over the world to improve issues one at a time, and two of the most impressive cases are Makayla Harris and Katelyn Higgins. These girls are 17 years old and work with the nonprofit Love A Sea Turtle Foundation, which is dedicated to marine and ocean conservation awareness.

Their mission to save the sea turtle was recognized by U.S. Cellular and The Future of Good, meaning the girls have been able to share their knowledge and ideas with underserved youth through dynamic outdoor workshops. We tracked them down to learn more about how they’re working to achieve their goals and educate the community at the same time.

Smart Girls: Can you tell us about the Love A Sea Turtle Foundation and describe the environmental projects you’re involved in?

Love A Sea Turtle is dedicated to environmental education and protection through youth led programs year-round. Over the summer, we run the Upstream Downstream Connection camp which engages underprivileged youth in our community in outdoor activities, environmental education, and is solely led by youth volunteers. At camp, the kids go on a nutrition scavenger hunt, kayak, bike ride, fish, and learn water science. On the scavenger hunt, the campers learn about the nutritional value of different fruits and vegetables. At water science, they learn the importance of testing and monitoring local water and also learn how to test pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity. The other three stations, kayaking, fishing, and bike riding, are fun activities to give the kids an experience they might not otherwise have.

Our youth volunteers are also leading an initiative called The Better Bag Solution, targeting the removal of plastic bags in stores in our community. Another group are leading the Keep Your Bottoms Clean initiative to keep the ocean, lakes, rivers, and other waterways clear of trash and debris while also educating what you can do as a citizen to help minimize pollutants in our waterways. Paint The Drain is another youth-led project that raises awareness of water pollution by painting the message “Don’t Pollute, Flows To The River” on storm drains as a way to inform people that what goes into the storm drain flows directly to our river.

What are the most pressing issues facing our environment, especially marine life?

As an environmental advocate, the greatest threat to the environment is society’s lack of knowledge and enforcement. Often, we are faced asking ourselves, how can we get a child who does not know when their next meal is to be able to care about the protection of wildlife and their impact on the environment? Promoting animal conservation with underserved populations who may not understand the value of protecting and preserving our planet, resources, and endangered species, has proven to be a successful strategy that we have used in our efforts and programs. The children navigate through the various learning stations at camp, one being water science. Water science is so critical for today’s youth because many of these children are not exposed to or offered opportunities to learn about environmental science in their schools. Summer campers learn how to test water quality and the effects of natural and anthropogenic resources. Our hope is that the campers leave with new knowledge that they are empowered to share with their peers.

The greatest threat, specifically for marine life, is plastic pollution. A new study told by National Geographic says that eight million tons of trash enter the ocean each year, and in that trash there is plastic. Plastic does not decompose or break down like food waste does. It takes hundreds of years for plastic to completely break down and even then it does not disappear; it is still present in the ocean as microplastic which is so small you have to use a microscope to be able to see it. As plastic decomposes, different marine animals ingest it. For example, sea turtles love to eat jellyfish, but sometimes they mistake a plastic bag floating in the water as a jellyfish and eat it. The plastic bag blocks the turtle’s digestive tract and ultimately results in death.

Fish also ingest plastic, but usually at the stage when the plastic is already, or close to being a microplastic. Another study has found that at the current rate of plastic pollution there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. This means that if you have eaten fish at some point in your life, you could have also ingested plastic. The best way to prevent plastic from polluting the ocean and harming marine life is by recycling and reducing the amount of plastic you use in your daily life.

What positive changes have you seen in the community as a result of your participation?

A positive change we have noticed in the community is how extensive our work has become. In 2011 when LAST began the summer camps, the program served 28 underprivileged youth. The camp program and our year-round service learning efforts have grown and we have helped to engage thousands of students locally and across the state.

Under Katelyn’s leadership with Stow It-Don’t Throw It, the monofilament recycling project has grown and nearly 15,000 containers have been distributed statewide. The involvement of our community has also increased because we hold special volunteer opportunities that are open to the public throughout the year; we began with a small amount of community members volunteering, but now have hundreds of volunteers come out to support us.

How has U.S. Cellular helped you achieve your goals?

As the recipients of the Future of Good Award, U.S. Cellular has been very generous in their donations to us. They donated a new laptop, updated our website, supplied several kayaks and paddleboards that will replace some of our older kayaks and paddleboards used for camp, and also made a monetary donation which will help us with our programs.

However, the video that was filmed and posted on YouTube was the highlight of the award. The video helped us to spread our message and inspire other youth around the world to protect the environment. We now have over 2 million views and have had requests from people over social media asking how they can volunteer with us. Everything U.S. Cellular has done for us will help us run our organization and continue our programs, but has also given us a larger platform to reach people across the world.

How can other kids get involved and make a difference?

It’s extremely easy to make a difference in protecting the environment. The first thing to do is make a difference in your home. Conserve your water, recycle, reduce the amount of plastic you’re using, pick up trash whenever you see it, and turn off the lights when you leave a room. The next thing to do is to educate your friends and family, let them know why they need to protect the environment, and tell them what you are doing to help.

After that, you can start doing community clean-ups. Organize an event where people from your community get together and pick up trash in parks and on the sides of roads, and if you have a body of water, go out and do a water clean up. Every little thing you do can make a huge difference if everyone gets together and does it, too. Imagine if every person in the world picked up one piece of trash per day; that’s over 7 billion pieces of trash picked up every day.

Are you looking to pursue careers in the environmental field?

Mayayla: Yes, my educational goals and future career aspirations are in the animal conservation field as an animal rescuer working for an aquarium or zoo. I will seek a Bachelor’s of Science with a concentration in environmental science or ecology/environmental biology. I discovered my passion for animal rescue during a service trip to Perú while snuggling with my host family’s pet pig and spending time with my baby brother watching “Go, Diego, Go”. I found myself thinking how much fun that would be and could visualize myself doing this as a career.

Katelyn: Yes, my educational and future career aspirations are in environmental science as a researcher, educator, and advocate. I will get my bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a minor in policy and/or sustainability. After graduating, I want to study how pollutants affect different aspects of the environment and also work with businesses and corporations to adopt greener practices while continuing my work in educating youth in environmental conservation. I discovered my passion for environmental research and education while teaching water science at the Upstream Downstream Connection camp.

Do you have any advice to share for other smart girls out there?

We want every girl to know that she can do anything if she is passionate about it. If she can dream it, then she can do it. Youth have always been told that we are the future, but you don’t have to wait for the future to start making a difference. You can be the youth of now.

We can’t wait to track the careers of Katelyn and Makayla. Check out Love A Sea Turtle to learn more!