by Gregory Mone
“Individual efforts matter,” added Rachael Miller, the cofounder of Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean. “Lots of little efforts can have a positive impact.” That could mean organizing a beach cleanup, or changing your own behavior to reduce the amount of plastic that you contribute to the ocean. Going for ice cream? Bring your own spoon. Thirsty? Carry your own water bottle. Try not to use single-use plastic items or things that can’t be recycled. Try to wear clothes made from natural materials. And if your clothes do have artificial fibers, don’t wash them too often—unless the smell is so bad that people start fainting as you walk past.
You really can make a difference. Honestly. “Those individual choices that don’t feel like they make a difference really do,” Jenna Jambeck told me. “Kids have more power than they realize. Kids motivate companies and governments to change because when kids communicate, it has more power.” Where I live, local kids got together and banned the use of plastic straws and small plastic water bottles. The adults listened! Check out organizations like the Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, which helps kids start campaigns to fight ocean plastic pollution, or Bye Bye Plastic Bags, the worldwide group started by two young girls in Indonesia. Maybe you’ll be inspired to start a group of your own. Whether Atlantis is real or not, our oceans are worth protecting.
Acknowledgments
Nika, Clare, Eleanor, Dylan, and Bobby. Wait, who’s Bobby? Ha. Just made him up. But the first four . . . really, thank you. Life is fun with you, in and out of the water. Mom and Dad, who are still good at the mom and dad thing. My early readers, including C&E and Georgia and Lucy. The Gales, Thayers, Albrights, and Walkers for hosting a wandering, school-visiting minstrel. Aquin-Aqua. Carl and Marvin. Editor extraordinaire Howard Reeves (“Make it funnier”) and Andrew Smith for guidance, faith, and action figures. Russ Busse for fantastic editorial insight and sharp comments. The rest of the amazing crew at Abrams, including, in no particular order, Jody Mosley, Jessica Gotz, Brenda E. Angelilli, Megan Carlson, Bobby, Hallie Patterson, Jenny Choy, Patricia McNamara, Sara Sproull, Kim Lauber. Janet Zade. Bill Nye, for sneaking me into Abrams in the first place. My fantastic agent, Jennifer Carlson. And of course Nika, again, for everything.
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