South Florida Girl Scout's project raises awareness about the marine debris crisis
MIAMI - A South Florida Girl Scout's love for the planet inspired her to tackle the global marine debris crisis and encourage other young people to do the same.
Amelia McKay, 17, is on a mission to save the environment one piece of plastic at a time.
"I'm definitely proud of the project. It's one of the coolest things I've done," she said.
McKay is referring to the project she created called "plastic smART," which aims to raise awareness about the environment and marine debris washing up on our beaches.
"The main part of the project was an educational curriculum that I developed," she said. "Eco Adventures is helping me run it here at the (Biscayne) nature center as a field trip option. It's designed for K through 12 students. They come here to learn about the plastic problem, do a beach cleanup."
For her dedication and love for the Earth, McKay, who has been a Girl Scout since she was 5 years old, was awarded the Gold Award. It is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn.
"I really felt on top of the world, especially with the place I was in, I was with a bunch of inspirational women, some girls from my Girl Scout troop, friends, my mom was there, the CEO of the Girl Scouts was there too. It was just a great moment and a great feeling," said McKay.
Over winter break she created an art installation using everything she collected on the beach, from bottle caps and crates to buoys — a creative way to reuse the debris found on our shores.
"As a sea turtle conservation coordinator, Amelia is the next generation of parks stewards in Miami-Dade County. Most importantly, connecting us and caring for the Earth, from parkways to blue ways, Amelia we are so proud of you," said Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation's Fanny Navarro.
"Change can be made if we work towards it, just starting small can equal some big changes," said McKay.
She said she would like to expand her project. The second phase would be to make a little library at the Biscayne Nature Center so they could read to the younger children and children with special needs.
Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida stated that Amelia is among 20 Miami-Dade and Florida Keys Girls who have earned the Gold Award this year with their innovative projects. These young women spent a combined 2,700 hours of community service on their impactful projects that run the gamut from environmental, educational to societal and cultural. For more details click here.
Send us your story at MiamiProud@cbs.com