Sustainability is one of our brand pillars and we are always on the lookout for sustainable solutions in our collections to further reduce our impact on the environment. We love sustainable design and love shining a spotlight on sustainability heroes…
Ryan is passionate about educating others and showing everyone how easy it is to recycle. He is 11 years old and has become a global recycling icon. Like us, he shares a passion for giving back and conserving our planet for future generations and wildlife.
As a Youth Ambassador at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, he donates all the proceeds from his company logo t-shirts to help support their volunteer efforts, saving marine life from the perils of plastic in our oceans. This is a cause that we strongly support as a brand looking to always save endangered species in the world.
We caught up with Ryan this week and asked him a couple of quick questions about his recycling journey so far…
What is the strangest thing you have found during one of your inspirational beach clean-ups?
I’ve found all sorts of things but probably the weirdest is shotgun shells or an old flip phone.
What is the question you get asked the most?
How much have I recycled? (Answer: 1.3 million cans and bottles)
What advice would you give other kids reading this?
Follow your dreams. Us kids can do amazing things when we put our minds to it.
Where is your favourite beach in the world?
My favourite is Caye Caulker Island in Belize.
One thing you don’t know about me is…
I play the violin and I collect coins.
We ended our conversation with Ryan by asking him to share with us one of his most meaningful memories of travel…
“Going to Vancouver, Canada to speak to kids at WE DAY about taking care of our planet. It was pretty exciting to speak to 23,000 kids and I remember hanging out with the Prime Minister’s wife, Sophie Trudeau. I spent a few days in Vancouver over Thanksgiving with my friend Brooklynn Prince and her family. We made pancakes at their house and we went to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.”
Ryan is a great role model and is helping shape the mindful attitude of the next generations towards a cleaner planet. Keep up to date with his journey on Instagram @ryans_recycling.
All images courtesy of Ryan Hickman
