Keeping the Oceans Clean is Kid Stuff
While many teens are preoccupied with love, phones and fashion, one very special Georgia girl is peachy keen on cleaning up the oceans by ridding the world of plastic drinking straws and other single-use non-biodegradable plastic items.
Meet Hannah Testa
Hannah Testa has made it her mission to educate others on the perils posed by everyday plastic items – the kind of stuff that takes centuries to break down and often makes its way into our precious waterways.
Hannah calls herself a speaker, advocate, writer, educator and eco-warrior. We call her a hero and an inspiration. After all, she shares the COAST IS CLEAR mission of fighting for the future of our planet.
According to her website, Hannah was all of 10 when she realized that one of our biggest problems is one that we can control: plastic pollution. Hannah has since delivered countless presentations on how to reduce our plastic footprint. She now rubs elbows with state lawmakers and works hand-in-hand with the organizations fighting for cleaner coasts and safer seas.
“Plastics are having an effect on animals, the environment, and human health,” she noted in a March interview with OneGreenPlanet.org.
“In addition, to produce plastic, manufacturers are consuming the Earth’s valuable resources. What is also alarming is that China recently decided to stop accepting recyclables from the U.S. and other countries. This should be alarming to us, as much of our recycled plastic historically has been sent to China.”
Plastic that isn’t recycled has a penchant for polluting the earth and her oceans. In case you missed it on the news, there’s a floating mass of plastic TWICE the size of Texas adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
Big changes start with small steps
Hannah knows big changes start with small steps. Take plastic drinking straws, for instance. Americans use an estimated 500 MILLION plastic straws per day.
OneGreenPlanet notes there are many alternatives to plastic straws – including not using straws at all. Not only are there are great, long-lasting, biodegradable paper straw alternatives, but there are also glass and stainless steel straws that are made by leading companies.
Reducing Plastic Pollution Takes A Village
COAST IS CLEAR isn’t content to let Hannah and other passionate people do all the heavy lifting.
We’re donating 5% of sales of the COAST IS CLEAR Collection – including our set of four stainless steel drinking straws – to Plastic Pollution Coalition. This coalition is a powerful global alliance of individuals, organizations, businesses and policymakers all working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact on people, animals, waterways, oceans and the environment.
Oh, and to Hannah, we offer a heartfelt, you go, girl!