Protecting the outdoors I love by reducing single-use plastic waste

I attribute my love and passion for the environment to my parents, who stuck me in the lake water for the first time when I was barely a month old. I grew up swimming in the lakes in Chicago and Wisconsin, hiking all over the US, scuba diving off the Florida coasts, and generally doing everything that I could outside. This love of the outdoors has led me to become a double major in environmental studies and psychology at Amherst College. My passions and education have also led me to see how climate change and pollution have been negatively affecting different environments all across the world. As an Environment Illinois intern focusing on the Wildlife Over Waste campaign, I am excited to learn more about the ways that we are combating the effects of single-use plastics in the Great Lakes and creating a better future for the people and the ecosystems that depend on clean water. I am looking forward to making a real difference about an important issue. I’m also glad to spend the summer working with a group of people who are just as passionate as I am about doing whatever we can to protect the natural environment. With everything that is happening in the news, it’s easy to look at all the negatives, but this internship will show that there are people working towards a cleaner, sustainable future.