Eco Kids: Heroes for our Planet

April is Earth Month, a time to celebrate the planet and take action to protect it. For some, the importance of the Earth plays a significant role in their daily lives, not just during one month a year. These youths show you’re never too young to take action and make a difference for a cause you care about.

Kendall Rae Johnson

At age 8, Kendall Rae Johnson was declared “the youngest certified farmer” by Arthur Tripp, Georgia’s State Executive Director of Agriculture. To spread her love of the Earth, this homeschooled third grader champions youth involvement in agriculture, sustainability and eco-conscious living with speaking engagements, her book “I’m Growing Places,” subscription service aGROWKulture and the foundation Kendall Rae’s Green Heart Charity.

Who inspired you to start gardening?

My great-grandmother, Kate, showed me how to plant our collard green stems from our dinners to regrow new collard greens. It was magical, and it made me want to grow more.

What do you love about your work?

There are so many fun things to do outside. It’s always a new adventure every day. I love to spread the word that Earth is home, and we need to take care of it.

Zeke Dameron and Sanaa Kirpalani

Zeke Dameron

Zeke Dameron, a junior at The Paideia School, and Sanaa Kirpalani, a junior at South Forsyth High School, are part of Pebble Tossers’ Teen Leadership Program that provides students in rising 9th-12th grades with opportunities to develop leadership skills through service learning. As part of this group, a team of students are visiting public parks recurringly for active cleanup around the metro area.

What do you love about volunteering?

Sanaa Kirpalani

SK: Volunteering has been part of my life for so long. In high school, junior and senior year can be crazy, so volunteering is something to look forward to. It’s rewarding to see what we can do to help our community. It keeps me grounded.

ZD: There’s so much negative energy right now in the world and in our daily lives. Community service gives me a positive output to stay mentally healthy. It feels good when I try to help other people.

How can families celebrate the Earth every day, not just on Earth Day?

ZD: In the past, I’ve spent a significant amount of time on my phone or computer, and it felt like I was wasting away my life. If I’m scrolling for hours, I’m not accomplishing anything. Going outside and appreciating the world around you, whether that’s the greenspace in a park or in the backyard, gives you serotonin and makes you feel better.

What advice would you give kids who want to help the Earth but don’t know where to start?

SK: One person is not going to make the problem go away, but little details do make a difference. Little things can change your mindset on what you can do. You’re not going to solve the problem in one day, but think of some solutions you can do to keep the environment clean and safe for all the wildlife and for us.

Annie Lin

Annie Lin, a senior at North Atlanta High School, is the President of First Step, a group of Asian American students who contribute to a clean environment and help people in need. As part of their environmental work, the organization helps clean up trash in public areas and has taken part in more than 60 trash cleaning activities since their 2020 inception when Lin began First Step.

What inspired you to start First Step?

I was a COVID freshman, so school was virtual. My family would take regular walks to Whitewater Creek Park. I was disappointed in the amount of trash I saw on the way there and on the park’s trails. The summer before, I had visited Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, and I had seen how much plastic in the ocean hurt turtles. I couldn’t clean up the ocean every day, but I could clean up at the park. I started the cleanup effort with three childhood friends, and we now have more than 150 team members with First Step.

What advice would you give kids who want to help the Earth but don’t know where to start?

That’s how we got the name First Step — no step is too small. Of course, you can’t clean the whole ocean, but you can clean the sidewalk or the playground. We can clean up trash where we live to make the Earth cleaner. It really does make a difference.

Jack Barbas

Jack Barbas has always enjoyed being outside because he never knows what interesting piece of nature he will see. As a homeschooled junior, he has been volunteering at Panola Mountain State Park in Stockbridge about once a month since May 2023, where he helps the rangers in activities offered for park visitors, such as tree climbing and archery.

What inspired you to start volunteering?

The first time I visited Panola Mountain State Park, I was part of a group taking a Master Birder course through Birds Georgia. On that day, a call came in to our group leader that an injured bald eagle was found in the woods. We actually got to participate in rescuing this eagle, and that was a once in a lifetime experience!

What advice would you give kids who want to help the Earth but don’t know where to start?

Start a hobby in nature and that will lead you to figure out a way to be helpful. One of my hobbies is fishing. Fishing line is dangerous for wildlife because animals could become entangled in it. For the past several years, I have been collecting discarded fishing line off the ground and in trees, and I have been properly disposing of it. Recently, I have made some fishing line recycling bins out of PVC pipe, and I have donated two bins to Panola Mountain State Park to install near the lakes.

Winnie Ordones

Winnie Ordones, a senior at Woodstock High School, has always cared about nature and enjoyed being outside. As a kid, she remembers walking around in the woods behind her house and playing in the creek. With her family, she participates in “Sweep the Hooch” annually, a Chattahoochee River cleanup program. She is a leader in her school’s environmental club, and last year, she did an interview and water testing with GPB and Metro Water District.

What do you love about environmental work?

I love giving back to the Earth that gives so much to us. Actively taking part in environmental care is important to my character and something I want to carry on throughout my life.

Why it is important to celebrate the Earth every day, not just on Earth Day?

Just embracing the Earth on Earth Day means there are 364 days where it’s not being embraced and appreciated. The Earth needs respect and care consistently in order to remain a healthy environment. It can also be fun. Appreciate the Earth by going on walks, taking naps in a hammock, having a bonfire, and embracing the Earth with people you love. Those kinds of activities and experiences lead to wanting to be environmentally proactive.

Rebecca Yin

Rebecca Yin, a sophomore at Woodward Academy, volunteers with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s Water Warriors, which equips high school and college students with the skills to engage their peers on the importance of water conservation through cleanups, fundraising and leading conversations. Yin has participated in many events, including Capitol Conservation Days, when she met with  legislators to discuss key issues.

What inspires you about this work?

I love being in nature and helping nature. I love getting involved with nature and interacting with different people, including water professionals, legislators and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper staff. I enjoy getting to experience how our water samples are tested and how it impacts the entire state.

Why is this work important to you?

If we protect these rivers, we support our drinking water in the Atlanta area, which not only protects planetary health but also our own health. We need to protect the river to give us a better life. It affects our lives, our city, our country. If we can do it together, we can help our own  community, the entire country and maybe the entire world.

Avery Hutchinson

Now a junior at Wheeler High School, Avery Hutchinson has been part of her high school’s volunteer organization and Chattahoochee Nature Center since her freshman year. She thought she would enjoy volunteering at CNC since it was outdoors. Since then, she has helped with guest interactions, such as running a tour, leading an art project or directing people.

What do you love about being outdoors?

When I’m outdoors, there is a sense of peace and serenity that just envelops me totally. There’s no such thing as looming deadlines or stressful drama. There is just the gentle babble of a creek and the sun peeking through the trees. The outdoors are a beautiful escape from the fast pace of life.

Why is it important to celebrate the Earth every day, not just on Earth Day?

At the end of the day, we start as part of the Earth, and every moment of our lives is surrounded by the things that the Earth gives us. If we don’t focus on the Earth every day, the Earth may reach a point that we can’t return from.

Kate Range

For Kate Range, a third grader at The Lovett School, fishing is family fun. She also participates in the Becca Sue Klein All Kids Fish events, a program committed to demonstrating the sport of fly fishing and the need for conservation. One day, she hopes to be an instructor at All Kids Fish to help teach others to fish and enjoy nature.

Why do you love All Kids Fish?

There are a lot of kids, and everyone has a different personality, but everyone comes together to fish, which I think is really cool. We get our waders and our boots on, and we go out with the new friend you have made and fish, and have a lot of fun. You learn how to net the fish and let them go, and it’s just mesmerizing. I like to hold the fish most of all.

Why is it important to celebrate the Earth every day, not just on Earth Day?

If we start loving the world more and more, we will have a better chance helping our planet be strong. We always need to try and fix and help the world around us.