Young environmentalist rallies friends for ocean cleanup fundraiser
The fourth grade student at Linntown Intermediate School in the Lewisburg Area School District learned about plastic waste being dumped in the ocean, so she looked up a nonprofit environmental engineering organization, organized a fundraiser at the Lewisburg Arts Festival and convinced six of her friends to help. Together they raised more than $1,000 toward ecological protection of the ocean.
"It's so stupid that people dump plastic into the ocean. Why there?" Anna said. "The ocean was here way before the land. It's a lot older than land and humans. We should probably take care of it since it was here first."
Last year, Anna, the daughter of Crystal and Bryan Langdon, of Lewisburg, found out about The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that is developing and scaling technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic. Their aim is to remove 90 percent of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
Humans produce 400 million metric tons of plastic annually, with an estimated 1.15 to 2.41 million metric tons entering the ocean each year, according to The Ocean Cleanup.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located in the Pacific Ocean halfway between Hawaii and California, is the largest of the five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans. The GPGP covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers, an area twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France, according to The Ocean Cleanup.
Anna reached out to the Lewisburg Arts Council to inquire about setting up a booth at the Lewisburg Arts Festival on April 26. She was granted a free booth at the community commons section of the festival.
Anna brainstormed with six of her friends about their booth. Because it was a free booth for nonprofits, they were not permitted to sell anything, so a bake sale was off the table.
Instead, they set up a kiddie pool where children could fish for Skittles among pieces of plastic. They held a drawing contest where the winner received a board game called "Mission Ocean," and they gave out seashells.
While the children were distracted, Anna talked to the parents. She showed them a PowerPoint presentation and posters she made about ocean pollution and ways to help. Afterward, she explained they could donate to the cause in person or through the Ocean Cleanup website.
In total, they raised $1,086. Asked why she had such a passion for the project, her answer was simple: "No one else is doing it."
Crystal Langdon said she helped with some of the logistics of the project, but mostly she wanted to be hands-off with her daughter and her friends' idea.
"I am just so impressed with their ability to brainstorm ideas. Anna, in particular, is not afraid to speak to people," Langdon said. "I was also impressed by their energy and effort. It was very successful."
As a family, Langdon said they give back to the community, but Anna "took it to a whole other level."
"The focus on the ocean and environment is all her," Langdon said. "With all the negativity in the world, it's very inspiring for her to do something positive."
Della Hutchison, chair of the arts festival committee, said she stopped by Anna's booth early in the day to talk with her.
"I told her she was my hero," Hutchison said. "I was just so blown away that a fourth-grader would be aware that the ocean needs help. I had no idea about that when I was in fourth grade. I certainly wasn't paying attention. I complimented her on coming up with an idea and following through. I wish we had more young people like Anna. I am super excited to hear that she did so well with her efforts."
Additionally, Anna has a poem called "Global Warming," which she wrote and was chosen to read at the Bucknell National Poetry Month Project Community Reading as the fourth-grade selection. Anna said she wants to organize more fundraisers and events to help the environment.
Anna's fundraising page can be found at https://fund.theoceancleanup.com/fundraisers/annalangdon.
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