Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Ringel.
Sophie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I love nature and I love going for walks on the beach, but every time I walked along our beautiful beaches I noticed a great deal of plastic pollution in the sand. It was hard not to notice all the trash and I couldn’t ignore that any longer, so I just started picking up the trash when I went on my walks. One day while going on a beach run I met another girl who was also picking up trash on the beach. I approached her and discussed doing a clean up together, and on March 26th, 2019 we did our first official Cleanup. It was just her and I, but after collecting so much trash and plastic from the beach, it was clear that we would continue doing more cleanups. The following week her neighbor joined the cleanup. The week after that I invited two of my friends. At that point, we decided to form an official cleanup group and in just a few weeks the group had grown to over 20. Fast forward a few months and we now regularly host between 30 to 80 volunteers and have the support of the community. Last Sunday we even had over 80 volunteers, of which many were kids, in their teens, who are very passionate about our environment. It amazes me how many people care and want to give back to Mother Nature, and sadly, it is necessary. We are polluting our environment, our waterways and our oceans with plastic and trash. Our mission is to spread awareness and educate people about plastic pollution and show simple ways how we can live without it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, it has been great, but there have been some challenges. The amazing part is the community involvement, people are joining our cause every week. And seeing so many residents, especially young kids being so passionate about our environment is very inspiring. But what truly moves me is when people tell me that I have inspired them to changed their habits and consume less plastic. That is the best. 🙂
The disheartening part is going back a few days later to a place we just did a cleanup and seeing it full of trash and plastic again. I wish the city would finally implement a ban on single use plastics completely. The biggest challenge I face is not having enough time or money. I am self-funded, and everything we have from our pickers to bags, to the tables we use I paid for out of my pocket. I would love to do have the funding to do this full-time, but unfortunately, I have to work two jobs to support myself and this cause.
Please tell us about your organization.
My organization is Clean Miami Beach. We are a group of students, teachers, executives, environmentalists, police officers, earth warriors, nature defenders, and everyday people who care about our environment, our planet and where we live. We are a group of volunteers who donate our time, our sweat, and our money to protect Mother Earth. We are known for our weekly community cleanups where we have removed thousands of pounds of trash and plastic from our beaches, our parks and our waterways. What I am most proud of, is our outreach to the community, to educate people to be more environmentally conscious and make eco-friendlier choices such as using reusable water bottles and grocery bags. What sets us apart is that we’re not just a cleanup group, we also work with local businesses and community leaders to affect change.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is when I got suspicious of why Santa Claus had the same shoes and the same earrings as my grandmother. I also wondered why my grams never got to be there when Santa brought the presents. My parents told me that she is taking a nap. Luckily she finished her nap after Santa left. 😉 That was Christmas Eve when I was 4 years old.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cleanmiamibeach.org/
- Phone: 305-479-5695
- Email: sophie.ringel@cleanmiamibeach.org
- Instagram: cleanmiamibeach
- Facebook: CLEAN MIAMI BEACH
Image Credit:
Sophie Ringel
Stefani Davila, IG: _some.name_
Nicole Faim, IG: itsnicolefaim
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