What did you do for your 10th birthday? Most kids hope for a fun party with their friends; maybe some pizza and definitely presents. But we recently met an amazing 10-year-old in Massachusetts with a different kind of birthday in mind.
To celebrate turning double-digits, Isabelle reached out to us to organize a beach cleanup. Together with friends and family, she met us at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester on a windy Saturday, ready to get to work. After just 1 hour we had collected 155 pounds of debris!
Isabelle has a true love of the ocean. In fact, “it’s her favorite element.” In her free time, she enjoys surfing, relaxing and hanging out with her friends at the beach.
Last year she also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our oceans when her school partnered with Seaside Sustainability to investigate microplastics in marine life. When Isabelle and her fellow students discovered fish and other sea creatures containing microplastics, they knew they had to act.
They presented their findings at the 2019 Massachusetts Sustainable Communities and Campuses Conference. Isabelle was proud of their work, but also affected by the results. She just couldn’t believe how much trash was in our ocean and on our beaches. She wanted to do something to help protect this place she loves so much. But what?
After some research, Isabelle came upon youth climate activist Greta Thunberg. Inspired by the impact someone so young could have on environmental issues, she decided to do something of her own – a beach cleanup was her way of making a big impact on a big birthday!
At the beach, we split up into groups and divvied up supplies, including – of course – our trusty data card. That’s how we know we collected 872 individual pieces of trash, including 96 small fragments just bigger than microplastics. Most of the items we recovered were either plastics or large bundles of derelict rope. But the most exciting finds of the day were 2 Hooksett Disks!
Getting your friends (and their parents) to clean up the beach for an hour is already impactful. But Isabelle went even farther – instead of presents, she asked for her guests to make donations to Blue Ocean Society and Seaside Sustainability so we can keep working to protect marine life for her generation and others to come. Now that is a big impact!
If you’d like to try organizing a beach cleanup for your big day, let us know! Reach out to us at programs@blueoceansociety.org for more info or fill out a cleanup inquiry.
