Kids can make a change and impact to help our ocean. That is something that is very important to me. I have always loved the ocean and learning about its fascinating marine life. When I was little, I used to go to my grandpa’s science museum and my favorite part was seeing all the little fish swimming around, touching the pencil sea urchins, and putting my hand in the tank to let the tiny shrimp clean my hands. The ocean and its creatures have always been important to me, especially growing up in Miami and living next to a canal and only a couple minutes away from the beach. There are so many ways to help our ocean no matter who you are. A little help can go a long way.

We sat on victory point after our not too long hike. Our educator Chris passed out a big card that had a different image on it. Most of them had animals. The wind blew in our faces as we read what the thing on our card eats  and what can harm or eat them. We went around the circle saying what image we got. One person got a human. Next Chris pulled a spool of red yarn, we made a food web with it.  Once we got to the person with the human card we stopped to talk because humans are at the top of the food chain. We talked about how we humans can make a  bad change and a good change. Chris told us how even though we are kids there are still things we can do to make an impact. For example, we can watch what we eat and how we treat the ocean and the different things we do that might affect it. In fact, on June 2 2008, when hundreds of kids across the world arrived at the inaugural ocean heroes boot camp in New Orleans they were given a set of tools, a metal cup, a metal straw and lid, and reusable bamboo utensils. It was a starter kit for eliminating single-use plastics, a goal that each of them agreed before attending. As we thought about other  things we could do we looked around and took in the beautiful view of the deep blue below us. This was really the first time when I started to think about how there are no limits for who a change maker can be and what they do no matter how big or how small. Even just having that conversation and learning can affect what we do can make a change. Source: Global Citizen

I once heard a quote I definitely connect to.“I need the sea because it teaches me”  – Pablo Neruda. I think that is true. By looking at the ocean and seeing how things work, you can learn first hand about our ocean. If you learn alot about the structure of a coral reef you can think about how the trash in the water might affect it and that might stop you or make you think twice about using things like single use plastics. If you think about how your actions will affect the world, that can make a big change. 

We sat with our group at NatureBridge after the long hike up to the hard- to- get to lighthouse. We looked across the water at the heavy layer of fog covering our surroundings like a blanket that I wish I had to protect me from the freezing cold weather. We looked down and saw that there were many harbour seals.  We saw some swimming in the chilly water but most of them were all sleeping on the rocks (they were so adorable). We heard the sounds of the waves crashing but we didn’t hear any seals barking because (fun fact) harbour seals like to be in a quiet environment while sea lions like to be in loud environment which is why here in San Francisco they can live in the pier because it’s a noisy environment. 

Chris, our NatureBridge educator, put us into groups and gave us a pair of special binoculars. He told us to look down at all the harbour seals to see what they were doing and how many there were. Since different groups counted different amounts of seals, we shared how many each group saw and calculated a total. We talked about why scientists might need this information to help them. We talked about how scientists determine how many harbour seals are left in the world and how humans can be helping or harming them. Humans can help the critically endangered Siamaa ringed seal to cope with climate change.  Human made snowdrifts developed in a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland improved the breeding success of seals during winter with poor snow conditions.  We said things that we could do to help increase the harbour seal population and things we might be doing that might be decreasing the harbour seal population. Doing this made me think about how really anybody can help our ocean in a big or small way! Source: Science Daily 

We sat in the sand, we went on hikes, we weighed our food so that at the next meal there would be less waste, we are change makers and we are kids. Nature Bridge helped me realize that I CAN MAKE A CHANGE! I always wanted to make a difference to help our environment (specifically the ocean) but I never knew how to and  never thought that I really could do much to help. I think that since I learned so much at Nature Bridge and so did the other students in my grade that I know what I can do to help. Something that made me really appreciate my time at Nature Bridge was learning about all the different specific and simple ways I can help like eating an entire apple even the core and seeds! There are so many easy ways  to help out. For example, the #2minutesolution is about taking a couple of minutes out of your day to collect as much litter as you can and recycle it. If we all went outside our office or house and set a timer on our phones, the amount we could collectively gather in that 120 seconds would be monstrous. And it’s just so doable! Have a dog? Invest in compostable doggie bags and fill one with litter when you next take your pooch for a stroll. 

If you are a kid or if you are a grown-up I hope that this essay taught you that no matter how young (or old) you are you can make a change! Maybe you can even eat a whole apple or take 2 minutes out of your day to clean up litter, no matter what you can help our planet!