Environmental Champion with ‘The Final Straw Foundation’
2143. Billie Harris
Billie Harris, aged 10, from Hampshire, is a young environmentalist who raises awareness of micro-plastic pollution and sustainability through social media and worked with the ‘Final Straw Foundation’ to run a Youth Eco-Conference in June 2023, which saw her hold talks with over 150 schools.
Billie joined a public beach clean-up, organised by the ‘Final Straw Foundation’, three years ago, having received her first litter picker as a gift. On that day, Billie committed to becoming one of their regular volunteers and has since attended dozens of clean ups, often bringing family with her. Bille has also attended youth eco clubs and visited schools to raise awareness of the importance of keeping beaches clean, as well as having filmed recordings to help fundraise.
Every New Year’s Day, Billie works with the foundation to run ‘Billie’s beach clean’, inviting as many friends and family members as possible to help clean the beach, and has helped clear over 160kg of plastic waste from beaches near Portsmouth.
The award for Billie coincides with the Great British Beach Clean, a week-long citizen science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK.
Billie said:
“I feel honoured and excited to be presented with this award. It’s not just great for me but for the ‘Final Straw Foundation’ as well. I started my eco journey when I saw the dangers oceans are facing, I knew I had to do something. I really hope that I can keep encouraging people to make better choices for our animals and planet, you can’t be the whole picture but if you can be a pixel in the picture to help our planet then we can all make a difference together. Thank you for this award. It drives me to do more.”
See more about “The Final Straw Foundation”