Aquarium teen volunteers take action to address environmental issues in their communities

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From hosting interactive festivals that raised awareness on environmental issues to creating lesson plans for middle school classrooms, teams of high school students from the Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers (CELC) network designed and led action projects that created positive changes in their communities.

With funding from NOAA and the North American Association for Environmental Education, each team implemented their projects using what they earned  from the 2021 CELC Virtual Youth Summit. The summit brought together more than 60 high school students associated with 12 different aquariums from the network to hear from speakers on how to make a difference for the environment through art, writing, advocacy, and more. Read what each team accomplished and learned from their experiences!
Six people are working outside in a parking lot next to a line of trees. Three people are holding onto large pieces of shrink wrap that are laid out on the parking lot. There is a truck parked behind the group of people with a ramp for loading.
Don’t shrink away: Mystic Aquarium teens work to recycle marine shrink wrap

Working with Clean Ocean Access, a non-profit organization based in Rhode Island, teens from Mystic Aquarium hosted the first shrink wrap recycling event in Connecticut to prevent this commonly used plastic sheet to wrap around boats for protection from becoming marine debris.

(Left) One person standing and posing with two thumbs up next to a sign that reads “Teen Climate Fest”. (Right) A podium with a microphone is set up on a stage. A big screen is taking up the wall behind the podium, displaying the text “Teen Climate Fest”.
Aquarium of the Pacific teen volunteers host their first Teen Climate Fest

A group of teen volunteers at the Aquarium of the Pacific called the Teen Climate Council designed and led an event called Teen Climate Fest that brought together 108 attendees from their community to learn about climate change and what businesses and professionals are doing to implement sustainability into various fields of study.

Five teens wearing matching aquarium t-shires stand behind a row of six plastic compost bins. Five of the bins have signs on top that say, "Not my turn yet! Don't use me!" while one says, "My turn! Use me!" They are outdoors, surrounded by lush greenery.
Shedd Aquarium teen volunteers dig in with their community to keep trash out of the Chicago River

Wanting to support the community around the South Branch of the Chicago River, teens from Shedd Aquarium created a partnership with Latino Youth High School to lead a project to advocate for education on and access to recycling, composting, and proper trash disposal.

Teens collaborate around a table to work on an activity to upcycle used shirts. There are other groups of people behind them working on different activities at various tables.
Monterey Bay Aquarium teens take on fast fashion

Concerned about the environmental impacts of fast fashion – inexpensive clothing produced rapidly in response to the latest trends – teens from Monterey Bay Aquarium chose to host an event called 'Fashion without the Footprint' to raise awareness and share potential solutions with their community.

A person is standing behind a long table inside a room and is presenting to six people using a poster board that is set up to the person’s left that reads “Pollution Solutions.” There is a cabinet behind the person and another person crouching down behind the table to the right.
Baltimore teens host B’more Conscious, an environmental festival for all ages

Students from the Henry Hall Fellowship, a paid fellowship program led by the National Aquarium that is open to high school students from Baltimore City and Baltimore County, designed and hosted an environmental festival that aimed to raise awareness on environmental issues impacting their community.

Four people are walking outside in a muddy channel in a salt marsh. In the background, there are a few buildings to the right and a wooden structure sitting on a grassy area to the left.
New England Aquarium teens monitor green crabs in their community

Wanting to preserve one of Boston’s last remaining salt marshes, a group of teens from New England Aquarium led a project to monitor a marine invasive species impacting the ecosystem of Belle Isle Salt Marsh.

A person stands behind a podium with a microphone outside while holding and looking at papers in her hand. A white board is set up next to her that reads “Welcome please join us here” and lists a schedule of the event. In the background, there are trees and bushes and a few people standing on a wooden deck.
Teens at North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores host a Carnival to Combat Climate Change

Teens from North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores designed and hosted a ‘Carnival to Combat Climate Change’, an event that brought together young people, community members, and conservation and science leaders to discuss environmental issues impacting their community.

Five people sit behind a table that is draped with a navy blue table cloth that reads “Ocean Wise.” Various papers and animal bones are displayed on the table. To the left is another table with multiple signs. To the right of the table is a long banner with an underwater photo of colorful coral that reads “Ocean Wise.” In the background, there is railing covered by glass and clothes on display for sale.
Teen volunteers from Ocean Wise start a campaign to raise awareness on Marine Protected Areas in Canada

Using the skills they learned at the Youth Summit, a group of teens from Ocean Wise created and led a campaign to raise awareness on Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Canada and designed a petition to establish a deep-water ocean area off the coast of British Columbia as an MPA.

Three people are standing outside participating in a beach clean-up. The person on the right is holding a garbage bag open while the other two people are holding an object grabber. The person on the left is putting something into the garbage back with their gloved hand. In the background, there are trees and a body of water.
New York Aquarium teens create lesson plans about environmental issues for classrooms in the Coney Island area

After identifying environmental threats impacting Coney Island, teens from New York Aquarium created lesson plans for middle school students to learn more about making legislation as well as to raise awareness on these issues.

photo of the outside of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
Teens from National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium help a local business become more environmentally friendly

Teens from the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium created a custom tool kit to help a local business in Dubuque, Iowa, use more sustainable products.