GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY
This is my simple recycling concept in under 10 seconds!
You can change the world your own way. This is one way I feel liken making a difference and I have some super exciting news coming in a few weeks! So many more of these monofilament receptacles are going out with the help of individuals, grants and money I’ve made from recycling.
#146 pounds of crushed aluminum cans will fill up the back of a standard pickup truck. These cans can be new cans or new aluminum is 60-90 days and will FOREVER be recyclable. The beauty of aluminum is once it’s been separated and drawn from the earths crust is stable enough to last indefinitely. Plastic, on the other hand, is generally only recyclable once or twice then is destined for the landfill where it’s toxic chemicals and microplastics contaminate our soil, water, and even our air. Plastics shouldn’t really the go to option as far as packaging. We are just adding to landfill waste over time.
The news is out and I am happy to announce I have been nominated and named in the top 5 for Time Magazine & Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year! This is such a huge honor and I want to thank everyone who has taken time to help me along the way. I wouldn’t be here without my amazing family and friends who have always let me explore my passion and helped me in so many ways.
This won’t change my work or my motivation, actually, it will make me push even harder knowing people see what I’m doing and that I can make a difference.
January 1st, 2022, I hosted a cleanup with my good friend and State Representative, Greg Vital. I truly appreciate people who believe kids can make a difference!
Last year I met so many amazing people and have been so inspired that I know what I’m doing matters. I know my voice is being heard and my actions are being seen and they matter!
Starting the year off with a cleanup has become a family tradition for my family but being joined today by people who represent my state makes me so proud and happy!
A few weeks ago, after almost a year of work on aluminum can recycling , I hit the 1 TON mark! I keep track of how many pounds each time I take them to be recycled and it took 10 months to recycle 1 ton of aluminum.
The cans I pick up are from Play.Wash.Pint. A local dog play park where people meet, gather, hang out and their dogs can play in a safe space. This Business hated to see all of this potential just to the trash so I partnered with them and pick up all their aluminum and some plastic for recycling. The money I make from these cans goes to make my monofilament bins that are placed along the Tennessee River. There are now 17 out and I couldn’t have done it without this partnership. If you have an idea, and don’t know where to start or how to find it, look in the trash, who knows, you may find an idea? And you can help the planet too!
This morning I woke up to the news Winter the dolphin that has been at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium has died. This hurt my heart so much. I had the great pleasure to see Winter more than once and her story really touched me.
She was injured by a crab trap that was left behind and she was entangled causing irreversible damage to her tail which ended up having to be amputated. She was found and cared for by the amazing team at Clearwater Marine Hospital.
Their motto is rescue, rehab and release but a dolphin missing her entire tail flukes, is obviously unreleasable so that’s where she stayed for 16 years. So many people heard her story and connected with her on such a deep level. She touched so many human lives than and truly changed hearts towards ocean animals.
Winter was harmed by humans and was forced to be removed from her home but on the other hand, humans saved her and took amazing care of her so we learned humans can make things better and do our part to care for our wildlife. We can do better. We can come together and make an impact for good. Let’s do something today for Winter!
Ella & I were finalists for the Go Blue Award with Loggerhead Marine life Center. The Cleanup Kids is focused on cleaning up the planet of trash, plastic, bullying, air pollution, noise and and other for of pollution to make this planet better.
The keynote speaker was Sylvia Earle and hearing her speak was incredible. I had chills the whole time being in the presence of “Her Deepness”.
Although Ella & I didn’t win, we are all winners because we met and spoke with so many amazing ocean conservationists who inspire us and now we are more ready than ever to keep going and move forward with our work to make this world a better place.
If there’s something I love, it’s the Tennessee River so today, I am celebrating World Rivers Day.
The Tennessee River and it’s tributaries supply drinking water to about 5.1 million people. It’s also the nation’s fifth-largest river system and one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America. With that said, it’s also the tested higher for microplastics than any other river in the world to date. Why?! Landfill waste! We have got to do better with what we dispose of and where it goes. Our health and well being literally depend on it.
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I did my first podcast interview and it happens to be with my friend and fellow Prudential spirit of community award winner. Go check it out and let m know what you think!
YouTube: https://youtu.be/AdQOySpgonQ
Apple podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sammie-smiles/id1536338801?i=1000527870083
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FLq6bNiINA6982pEIdjQY?si=Vwiw5gqMTSqyRS5mnShZEA&dl_branch=1
I was so excited to be able to present about my grant and progress over the last year. I have invested time and a lot of energy to help save the Tennessee River.
The Tennessee River is the most polluted with microplastics than any other river in the world tested to date. I believe some of these microplastics are from fishing line and monofilament because w shave huge fishing tournaments here which generate millions of dollars. This also means fishing line waste while anglers are busy and the broken line gets tossed in the trash.
I’ve started monofilament recycling and now have 10 receptacles placed along the river.
I can’t wait to see what next year brings and how I can further my projects.
The Conservation Kid 