The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) in its weekly roundup has highlighted a Capistrano Unified student.
In its April 19 post, the OCDE shared:
At just 14 years old, San Juan Hills High School student Ryan Hickman has dedicated much of his free time to recycling and collecting roughly 2 million bottles and cans from beaches, lakes and rivers with the help of volunteers.
Just ahead of Earth Day on April 22, the Orange County Register reported that Ryan is set to launch a five-week campaign to remove trash from five beaches starting this Saturday.
The Capistrano Unified School District freshman plans to focus his efforts on cleaning beaches along the Southern California coast and Mexico with stops in Huntington Beach and San Clemente. The first cleanup will take place at Dockweiler Beach in Playa Del Rey, where the 14-year-old will be joined by volunteers and teen influencers.
Through the campaign, Ryan hopes to promote his recycling education nonprofit, Project3R, while creating a ripple of change toward greater care for the ocean and its inhabitants.
“The trash ends up in the ocean, and animals are eating it,” Ryan told the Register. “Picking up a piece of trash may save a turtle’s life.”
Those who want to get involved in Ryan’s beach clean-up campaign can learn more about his efforts at Ryan’s Recycling Company website.
Click here to read the OCDE story.
CUSD Insider featured Ryan in this 2019 post: Harold Ambuehl Student and Founder of Ryan’s Recycling Company to host Saturday Beach Clean-Up filmed by ‘The Today Show’.