Country of Residence
United States
Age
17
Project title
NextGen ReMade
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
NextGen ReMade is a youth-led initiative that transforms discarded plastic into useful products like planters and doorstops, empowering young people to lead community cleanups, develop innovative designs, educate others about plastic pollution, and turn environmental challenges into creative solutions, starting locally and inspiring change in communities nationwide.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My journey began when I was just seven years old and found a plastic straw on the beach. Something so small made me realize how easily our everyday waste ends up in nature, threatening wildlife and the places we love. That one straw sparked a passion that changed my life. Since then, I've dedicated myself to protecting our waterways, organizing river cleanups, and helping remove over 51,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River through my nonprofit, Wild Earth Defenders. But as I watched the piles of trash grow after each cleanup, I began asking myself: What if removing pollution was only the beginning? What if we could turn some of that waste into something valuable? That's when NextGen ReMade was born. I envisioned a project where young people wouldn't just collect plastic but would lead the entire process, from designing useful products like planters and doorstops to educating their communities about pollution and sustainability. I know firsthand that age doesn't determine your ability to make a difference. One plastic straw inspired me to take action at seven years old. Now, I want to give other young people the opportunity to discover their own potential. NextGen ReMade is about more than giving plastic a second life. It's about empowering the next generation to create change.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Plastic pollution is a serious threat to my community. When I began my conservation work, the Tennessee River had some of the highest recorded microplastic concentrations of any river in the world. Even more concerning, the Tennessee River provides drinking water to over 5.2 million people, making its protection essential to both our environment and our communities. Through my nonprofit, Wild Earth Defenders, I've helped remove over 51,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River. But I've realized that removing pollution is only part of the solution. We must also rethink what happens to the waste we collect and educate others about preventing pollution in the first place. I've also noticed that young people are often invited to volunteer but rarely empowered to lead, make decisions, or develop their own solutions. That's where NextGen ReMade comes in. By creating a youth-led board to organize cleanups, collect plastic, design useful products, and educate our communities, we're tackling both environmental pollution and the lack of youth leadership opportunities. Our waterways are too important to ignore, and young people are too capable to leave out of the solution. We aren't just protecting a river. We're empowering a generation to protect its future.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
NextGen ReMade is my solution to two challenges: plastic pollution and the lack of meaningful leadership opportunities for young people. Through my nonprofit, Wild Earth Defenders, I'm creating a youth-led initiative that transforms discarded plastic into useful products while empowering youth to become environmental innovators. We'll begin by establishing a local Youth Innovation Board where young people make the decisions, develop ideas, and lead the project, with adults providing mentorship and safety supervision. Our youth team will organize river cleanups and community collection drives, then sort and prepare suitable recovered plastics for reuse. We'll work with adult mentors and recycling partners to safely transform these materials into practical products, beginning with flower planters and doorstops designed by youth. But the products are only part of our solution. Every cleanup and collection event will become an educational opportunity where young people teach others about plastic pollution, microplastics, wildlife protection, and responsible recycling. We also plan to donate or sell finished products, using proceeds to support future cleanups, educational programs, and project growth. We'll start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, testing our designs, measuring our impact, and developing a model that other communities can replicate. Eventually, we hope to create resources that help youth groups nationwide launch their own initiatives. NextGen ReMade turns waste into something valuable, but our greatest product will be the next generation of environmental leaders.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
NextGen ReMade is still in its early stages, but it's built on years of proven environmental impact through my nonprofit, Wild Earth Defenders. Since beginning my conservation journey at age seven, I've helped remove over 51,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River, organized monthly cleanups, and expanded fishing-line recycling efforts into multiple states. These experiences have shown me that young people can make a measurable difference when given the opportunity to lead. With NextGen ReMade, I want to take that impact further. Our first goal is to establish a Youth Innovation Board of 5–8 young leaders and engage at least 25 youth in cleanups, plastic collection, product design, and environmental education during our first year. We hope to host six collection events, four educational workshops, and develop our first recycled planter and doorstop prototypes. We'll track participation, materials collected, products created, and people reached through education. As we grow, we plan to share our model with youth groups in other communities, multiplying both our environmental and educational impact. Success won't just be measured by how much plastic we repurpose, but by how many young people discover their ability to lead and create change.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Most environmental programs focus on collecting waste, teaching recycling, or encouraging young people to volunteer. NextGen ReMade brings these efforts together in a different way by putting youth in charge of turning environmental problems into creative, practical solutions. What makes our project innovative isn't just what we create from discarded plastic, but who gets to create it and how. Instead of adults designing a program for young people to follow, we're establishing a Youth Innovation Board where youth make decisions, organize cleanups, design products, develop educational activities, and help determine how the project grows. Adults serve as mentors and provide necessary safety oversight, but the ideas and leadership come from us. We're also taking recycling beyond the collection bin. By transforming suitable recovered plastics into planters, doorstops, and eventually other useful products, we can demonstrate the value of materials often considered worthless. Each product becomes a conversation starter about pollution, conservation, and the possibilities of creative reuse. Our approach also introduces young people to entrepreneurship, problem-solving, teamwork, and community leadership while creating opportunities to generate funding for future conservation efforts. Perhaps our biggest innovation is that we're designing NextGen ReMade to be replicated. Once our Chattanooga pilot is established, we hope to develop resources that empower youth in other communities to create their own locally led programs. We're not just reimagining what happens to waste. We're reimagining who gets to lead environmental change.
How many people are on your team?
6
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Through Wild Earth Defenders, I'm building a Youth Innovation Board of 5–8 young leaders who will share responsibility for running NextGen ReMade. Together, we'll make decisions, organize cleanups, collect plastic, design products, lead educational workshops, and plan community outreach. Each member will have a voice in shaping our goals and future growth. Adults will provide mentorship and safety supervision, but the creativity, decisions, and leadership will come from us.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, my goal is to turn NextGen ReMade from an idea into an active youth-led program through Wild Earth Defenders. First, I'll recruit 5–8 young people to establish our Youth Innovation Board. Together, we'll assign leadership roles, set goals, and begin designing our first recycled products, starting with planters and doorstops. Next, we'll organize our first community plastic collection event and partner with local schools, businesses, and recycling organizations to gather suitable materials and develop safe production methods. We'll work with adult mentors to create and test our first prototypes. Education will be a priority from day one. Our youth board will develop hands-on activities that teach other young people about plastic pollution, conservation, and creative reuse. Within our first year, we hope to engage at least 25 youth, host six collection events and four educational workshops, and begin distributing or selling our finished products to help fund future conservation efforts. As we learn what works, we'll document our process and develop a toolkit that other youth groups can use to launch similar projects in their own communities. My goal is to build more than a recycling program. I want to create a model of youth leadership that starts in Chattanooga and inspires change far beyond it.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I've learned that inspiring change starts with helping people realize they can make a difference, no matter their age. Through my nonprofit, Wild Earth Defenders, I use social media, school presentations, community events, and partnerships with local youth groups to educate others about pollution and encourage them to get involved. I've organized monthly river cleanups where volunteers work together to protect our waterways, helping remove over 46,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River. When I speak at schools, I share my story of finding a plastic straw at age seven and explain how one small action can grow into something much bigger. With NextGen ReMade, I want to take that engagement further. I'll use social media to share our progress, showcase youth-designed products, and invite others to participate. I'll also work with schools and youth organizations to recruit our Youth Innovation Board, organize plastic collection drives, and host hands-on educational workshops. My goal is to make environmental action exciting, creative, and accessible. I want young people to see that they don't have to wait for someone else to solve a problem. They can become the leaders who create the solution.
