Last year, a Curvier's beaked whale died on the Norwegian coast. Its stomach was filled with 30 plastic bags. Nine-year-old Lilly Platt of Holland heard about the 'plastic whale' and was upset about pollution's effect on wildlife. “I started picking up rubbish,” Lilly told reporters. “Every piece I picked up was one less piece that could harm a living creature.” In one of her neighborhood clean-ups, she personally disposed of 91 pieces of plastic.
She has recruited friends to help locally, but that's not enough for Lilly. She has asked her local McDonald's to switch to paper tops and paper straws for their cups. She even convinced a local business to stop balloon releases, telling them that when the balloons come down, they often entangle marine life.
Lilly's environmental activism has caught the attention of national and international organizations. She now works with a sustainable straw company to develop bamboo straws and sporks folks can carry in their bags when eating on the run. She is a Child Ambassador to HOW Global, and a Youth Ambassador for Plastic Pollution Coalition.
This month, Lilly and her family will travel to the Norwegian island of Sotra to attend the ‘Plastic Whale Coastal Clean‑Up and Conference.’ As the name implies, the event involves both active work and information sharing. Lilly will be right in the thick of it.
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