Meet Trailblazer Camila Prada

Today we’d like to introduce you to Camila Prada.

Camila, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up in Miami Beach was truly a blessing. My family and I would spend just about every weekend at the beach, and as I got older, my friends and I did the same. My mother and best friend, Maju, was the one who inspired me to grow a genuine appreciation for the ocean. She’d spend hours floating in the water with a guaranteed smile when finally coming out. She taught my brother and I the basics about (public) manners from a young age: don’t litter, give back to the community, & pick up trash even if it’s not yours. Unfortunately, my mother passed away in 2009 after battling Leukemia. If I said life has been easy since then I’d be lying, but I’m blessed to have the best support from my family and friends.

On my mother’s birthday and anniversary, my family and I made it a tradition to watch the sunset and release flowers at one of her favorite parks. Apart from these two days, I started to notice that anytime I was outside, or near the water, I’d feel a special connection to nature, and I believe it’s my mother’s spirit that helps me feel this way. It wasn’t until the year 2016 when I “woke up” and became aware of the harm that we have been causing to our oceans. Instagram was my main source of informing me of the damage we’ve already done, how we can change our habits to make a difference, and how to raise awareness. Seeing these other profiles made me want to create a page to do the same. My idea was to have a catchy profile name and something easy for people to remember.

The year went by and I thought to myself, how I am supposed to encourage others to make these daily sustainable changes if I’m not fully committed to that lifestyle yet. 2017 was the year that I became that “crazy planet girl.” The eco-friendly pages on Instagram that I followed helped me transition to using reusables and other easy ways of living more sustainable. These changes became new everyday habits of mine. For example, my water bottle comes with me everywhere, my reusable bags are always in my car ready to use, I shop at local farmer’s markets whenever I can, and I always ask my servers for “No straw, please.” As a teacher, I make sure to be the best role model for my students. Any of our free time is used to talk about how we can be more kind to Mother Nature and our oceans. From classroom discussions on renewable resources & energy, to watching BBC Earth’s Blue Planet II, and even participating in beach cleanups, my goal of creative mini planet-lovers has been a success!

By this time, my confidence grew strong enough to encourage others on living a more sustainable lifestyle and being aware of the threat that our oceans and planet face. My family, friends, students, and coworkers started noticing these daily changes of reducing my plastic intake. When meeting new people and being asked why I’m so passionate, some simple explanations were: “why not?” and “I’m just crazy in love with my planet.” Friends kept pushing for me to start the Instagram page already & spread my message to everyone out in the social media world, but I was still stuck on what to name it. It wasn’t until I was having dinner with a friend and the waiter brought over our waters with straws, after I requested for “No straw, please.” My friend was the mastermind who convinced me to name my page ‘CrazyAboutMyPlanet’ and in December of 2017, my first post was created.

The social media world has so much to offer, which is great, but there’s still so much for me to learn. I’ve connected with people from all around the world! Receiving messages from friends, high school classmates, coworkers, friends of my mom’s, and even strangers about how I’ve inspired them is what keeps me motivated. This was my goal, and it’s working! (Special shout out to any of those who are reading this and have commended me on my work or thought of me when doing something kind for our planet: Thank you!)

Since 2016, I’ve participated and hosted countless numbers of beach/neighborhood cleanups, helped with dune restorations, given talks to students on how we should be treating our planet (thanks Vicky for joining me), and have sparked up plenty of conversations with strangers on this topic. I’m convinced that I have found my purpose in life, and my mother’s spirit is guiding me through this journey.

Currently, I’m trying to find an organization or company that share the same values as me, and either be a part of, or implement, an education program to teach our youth about these environmental issues, specifically how we can make a difference. They are the future of our planet and don’t deserve to live on our piles of irresponsible trash. I want to help others love and appreciate our planet so that they *want* to make changes to their life, and not feel the *need* to do it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I mean, the President and other politicians think climate change is faux. Imagine trying to convince them that plastic is causing serious destruction to our planet and only get worse! There have been many days where I feel discouraged because of rude and ignorant individuals who just don’t get it and are stuck in their ways/habits. Instead of making people feel guilty for using plastic, it’s best to inform them about the dangers of it so that they *want* to make a switch. Some of the hardest times for me are during large events like big sports games, parties, and holidays. These are the times that we produce the most trash, and if we’re lucky, a fraction of it is disposed of properly. The rest of it becomes litter, which has the potential of finding it’s way to our oceans (via storm drains, etc.).

In my opinion, the best way to make people aware of the amount of trash we produce is to participate in any kind of clean up. You start noticing that the items you’re constantly picking up are items you use regularly. With that being said, I’ve hosted cleanups with a low turnout, which makes it hard to want to keep hosting them. But, I can’t give up just because of a handful of people. My best advice to other young women who are on their journey is to NOT GIVE UP! Don’t drown yourself in the pessimistic thoughts! Think about your mission and how you are/will be making a difference. There are 7+ billion people in the world… we can’t let a few people bring us down or daunt us. Also, you’re not alone! Find other like-minded individuals who understand you and share the same interests as you. I promise you, it helps! Throughout these years I have grown some incredible friendships with people of all ages who are also on a journey to saving our planet.

We’d love to hear more about @CrazyAboutMyPlanet.
@CrazyAboutMyPlanet is an informal blog that is documenting my journey. I’m raising awareness by informing everyone on real world tragedies that are happening to our environment; suggesting easy changes that we can make to our daily habits; and basically anything else that involves our planet. I consider myself an avid volunteer who is extremely passionate about conserving our planet (& hoping to find a “big girl” job in this field). If you’re ever wondering how you can do more for our planet, please reach out to me; I specialize in cleanups! Whether hosting them or participating in them, if you’re out on the beach with me, you are guaranteed to want to pick up some trash. For some strangers, I’m known as that girl who gave them a free reusable bag in the parking lot and sparked up a convo on plastic pollution.

I don’t see myself as anyone special, just a gal who is crazy in love with her planet and helping others live more sustainable and become more aware of our planet’s threat. My family and friends have continuously commented on my charisma and sense of being approachable, which seems to be imperative when trying to have others jump on board with whatever your mission is. The person I am today is thanks to my mother’s benevolent ways of raising me, and for her, I am forever grateful.

Being able to inspire and raise awareness to people all around the world is what I’m most proud of. It’s not a lot of people, but I hope to grow that number and can’t wait to spread my message in other countries (especially the ones that are experiencing stark and critical effects of climate change).

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Never imagined myself saying this, but Instagram has helped me tremendously with networking. It has helped me connect with others when I needed a second opinion, or feedback, on a difficult situation. Reaching out to others on Instagram has helped me remind myself that I’m not alone! I follow several accounts and hashtags, and have event promotions pop up on my feed, which leads me to attend these events and meeting other eco-friendly individuals! For example, I was able to be a part of South Florida’s first ‘Zero Waste’ potluck. This was a group of us planet-loving Instagram folks that created a big group message and planned the event. Never be afraid to be the one to start something. Don’t just sit back and wait for things to happen. If you have an idea, bring it to life! Have someone help you if you get stuck. Also, do some research and find non-profits to help and volunteer for them. I’m currently a core-member of Surfrider Foundation Miami and have met some incredible people! I’m extremely appreciative to learn from this group who has already contributed to many positive changes and actions that are benefiting our oceans/environment.

Contact Info:

• Email: CrazyAboutMyPlanet@gmail.com
• Instagram: @CrazyAboutMyPlanet

Image Credit:
Gilma Portela, Alexandra Vargas, Angela Diaz, Dave Doebler, Julio Tenoreo

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