Ocean Heroes Bootcamp Encourages Youths to Fight Plastic Pollution

At the three-day bootcamp, participants (aka Ocean Heroes) learn about the destructive ways of plastics and how to combat them, as well as how to use the six pillars of programming—science education, global plastics policy, critical campaigning, artivism, media literacy and idea incubation—to develop effective solutions for reducing single-use plastics in their communities, says Emy Kane, director of strategy at Lonely Whale and manager for the bootcamp. Chloe Mei launched her campaign in April 2018 by creating a website to further educate the public on the dangers of single-use plastic straws; received more than 800 pledges to stop using plastic straws on her website; started a lecture series at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach; and presented to Hoag Memorial Hospital board of directors, petitioning them to stop using single-use plastic straws in their hospitals and centers in Southern California. “The Ocean Heroes grant program helps to ensure that money isn’t an obstacle to their campaigns and empowers them to demonstrate their ability as change-makers at a young age in their communities, and eventually, on a much larger scale,” said Leesa Carter-Jones, executive director of Captain Planet Foundation, in a statement.