Life on this planet can't
exist without our oceans.
Over 50% of our oxygen
comes from the oceans.
The oceans control our
weather and our temperature.
Eight billion kilograms
of plastic garbage
enters our oceans each year.
It's really heartbreaking,
and I definitely go
through periods
where I think (sighing),
"All hope is lost.
"What's the point
of even trying?"
But at the same time,
I refuse to give up.
So, Sea Smart's a non-profit
whose mission
is to inspire and empower kids
to love and protect our oceans,
so we do this through teaching
after-school programs,
summer camps at the beach
and school workshops,
and everything is aimed at
getting kids really excited
about our oceans, helping
them foster that love,
curiosity and connection
with nature,
because you only protect
what you love.
Growing up, I actually always
wanted to be a veterinarian
because I've always
loved animals,
so that's the main reason
I went into biology,
is my love for animals,
and when I started
studying sea lions,
I was like, "Wow, these are
the coolest things ever!"
And it just made sense to
major in marine biology.
I've worked as a marine
biologist in the field
for over 15 years now working
for different governments,
universities and NGOs
all around the world.
I chose to specialize
in studying
threatened marine
animals because
scientists can
provide them a voice
that these animals didn't have.
It breaks my heart to know
that a lot of these species
will be gone within
10 to 50 years,
and it could've been different.
We could've saved them.
You feel so helpless.
I can't imagine living
a life where
almost all marine life
is wiped off this planet.
Can I really live with myself
knowing that
I just sat idly by as
all of these problems
are happening around our planet?
I was in a period of my
life where I felt like
I was not fulfilling my
purpose in life.
I wasn't doing what
I was meant to do.
I want to teach people how to
love and protect our oceans.
How do I do that?
What am I passionate about,
what do I want to do
with my life?
What makes me passionate?
Making the world a better place.
I knew I had to change paths.
Kids are our hope for
a future planet,
so let's really empower them
to be environmental champions.
Adults are really stubborn.
It's really hard to get
adults to change their ways,
but kids, they're still really
open to different ideas.
When they decide on something,
then they just go for it
all the way.
It feels so incredibly
joyful for me
to be able to share my passion
and knowledge with these kids
and to be able to ignite
this passion in them as well,
and I also feel
extremely privileged
to be able to do this, to be
able to inspire so many kids.
Sea Smart's taught
almost 5,000 kids now
from kindergarten
up to grade 12,
and the great thing is the
ripple effect of our programs.
Kids are constantly going home
and sharing with their
parents what they've learned,
and they're changing how
things are being done at home,
so they're educating
their parents
how to protect our oceans.
When they say, "You can't
teach an old dog new tricks,"
they were wrong. (laughing)
We don't just get kids
excited about our oceans.
We teach them about solutions.
There's something we
can all do to help.
When I started up Sea Smart,
I wanted to make the
world a better place,
and the impact we've had just
exceeds my wildest dreams.
