Before saving sea turtles became a global internet trend and plastic straws were
deemed taboo, Stephanie Evans was at the forefront fighting for marine conservation and
sustainable plastic use. At the early age of 10, Stephanie began her organization Save The
Dugongs that quickly transformed into Seas of Change Australia. Through her advocacy
for conserving sea turtles and dugongs, a large marine mammal related to Manatees, as
well as fighting climate change and plastic pollution, Stephanie has inspired a whole new
generation of Australians to create change starting at the local level. Although youth are
only 25% of the population, Stephanie emphasizes that they are 100% of the future. To
better understand how exactly youth can make a difference in a world where climate
destruction seems irreversible, I interviewed Stephanie to hear her views on the subject
and how she is leading a new wave of change.
What inspired you to start Seas of Change Australia and how have you maintained the organization for six years?
I was 10 years old when I started and I thought, I’m 10 I can’t go to university,
and so I started a charity. I found an endangered species in Australia, dugongs, and they
didn’t have a lot of people fundraising for them so I started an organization called Save
The Dugongs and I rolled with that for a bit. I wrote an email to Sea World Australia and
they were amazing and gave me prizes for my first fundraiser when I was 11 and then a
few years later I met a girl, Mel, who helped me rebrand and since then we have grown to
sea turtles, seagrass, climate change, and plastic pollution. I never had a plan in place and
it has gotten a lot bigger in the past two years than it ever has been. I think you meet a lot
of people and you just have to treat everyone with respect in this trade and keep contacts,
because you never know when it is going to come in handy.
So you were very young and you are still young for an activist. Do you find that people treat you differently, especially as a young woman?
Well when I was 10, I wrote an email to a family friend asking for advice since
she has done a lot of activism work and she told me, “You’re 10 years old, you can’t be
trusted with money. Get back to me when you have a degree and are more responsible.” I
do think people definitely treat me differently because I’m 16 and have not had that full
experience, but I’m not making up the facts from legitimate scientists. We have the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying we now have 11 years to
fully decarbonize so that we do not go over 1.5 degrees Celsius. I’m 27 when that
happens and the people in power, they are going to be older so it affects my generation
the most. I think some adults listen and some don’t, but the majority of adults do listen,
especially with so many climate activists. If one [person] doesn’t listen, find another
person.
How has growing up in Australia made marine conservation a priority for you compared with other activists located in other regions?
I’ve always lived near the beach, it’s my favorite place to be and I got into
snorkeling about 3 years ago. The world looks so different underwater and it’s the most
amazing space, so serene. You can only then see most of the natural habitat at local
protected areas. I went to the Great Barrier Reef when I was younger and it was so
amazing. Unfortunately, now with climate change and coral bleaching, the outlook is not
great. That is definitely something that we bring up when we talk to adults, because they
had this guarantee that the Great Barrier Reef would be there and we don’t have that
guarantee anymore. A lot of us have been to the Great Barrier Reef and we want to bring
our kids there. I’ve noticed having that natural wonder here, in Australia, is something
that we want to protect for everyone to see.
How are youth in your community directly involved in combating climate change and conserving marine life at the local level?
Our school is very much involved in climate change, and we recently sat down
with two local politicians to discuss climate policy. The main organizers who run the
school strikes for Sydney, Australia, attend my school and are incredible people. I think
because we live near the beach we’re very passionate about saving the Earth, because it’s
beautiful and everyone wants to save that.
I am also an Ocean Youth Ambassador for the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and
they run programs to get youth involved in marine conservation and give them the tools
to get involved, including education.
How did participating in both Ocean Youth and Ocean Heros Bootcamp help influence the way you run your organization?
I participated in Ocean Youth when I was 13 years old and that was definitely a
time when I was making big changes to my organization and they were so supportive of
me. The most important thing about Ocean Youth and Ocean Heros Bootcamp is that you
get to meet this network of like-minded individuals. You’re not the only person doing
this, there’s people who want to support you who are your age and then there are adults
who want to do everything in their power to support your cause. That is really inspiring
and gives you confidence.
I just got back from Ocean Heros Bootcamp a month ago and it gave me a lot of
confidence with the knowledge that I already had, because they provided us with quality
education and tools, as well as a network of people who are like-minded and inspiring.
We underestimate the power that we have, and these organizations are saying “you have
the power, you have a voice”. That is something I try to convey when I give speeches at
schools. The number one tool when you want to be an activist is not your passion or your
education, it is hope and these people give you hope. We’re not protesting, we’re not
telling governments what we want because we don’t have hope. We have hope. These
organizations are helping us, giving us more hope, because we want a future for
ourselves.
Seas of Change discusses supporting a circular economy in order to reduce plastic waste. Can you elaborate on how you live plastic free?
Plastic is super important to decrease. I believe 25% of plastic waste is plastic
packaging. So I eliminated the top four plastics and replaced them with reusable options:
reusable bags, reusable drink bottles, reusable straws, and reusable cutlery. I try wherever
possible to not get takeaway in containers. If you want takeaway bring your own
containers. For school lunch, we pack our own lunches and my school lunches are
generally plastic free.
I definitely wanted to reduce my plastic usage when I started my charities. I’ve
also definitely tried my best to decrease my plastic usage since then. There’s some crazy
facts about the impact of plastics, and I think everyone can reduce plastic even if it’s the
smallest amount, because plastic pollution is such a massive problem.
What are your thoughts on the plastic straw trend?
This is a big rant topic for me. The idea was to decrease consumerism and to
lower our waste, but it [reusable plastics] has become a more consumerist item. When
you are reducing your plastic waste, you don’t need to go out and buy more stuff, because
that is just consumerism. Everything I have, I have not bought, that is what people give
me for my birthday. I hardly ever bring my reusable straw with me because I don’t need a
straw. If you want reusable cutlery, use the cutlery you use at home. A reusable cup
doesn’t have to be a “que” brand cup, it can just be a mug. I think people just go out and
buy everything because the internet is telling them you need all these products. But, you
don’t need all these products. Your beeswax wraps don’t need to be bought from the
shops, you can make them with a piece of old cloth. Your reusable bags can come from
old clothing or old fabric around your house. I definitely don’t think you need to go out
and buy everything, because the idea of a circular economy is you want to reduce what
you are buying.
What are your future goals concerning both your organization and marine conservation as a whole?
For my organization, we are currently organizing an event for next year that will
hopefully be held in three states in Australia and will be on youth empowerment and
tools used to make a change. One thing that I’ve seen a lot, especially in my area and in
Australia, is a lack of opportunities. For Ocean Heros Bootcamp I traveled to Canada,
that’s a long way. That was an amazing workshop and I want to give those opportunities
to people in Australia. So we are hoping to run a one-day event next year to give youth
opportunities to network.
Also in the future, more fundraisers and school talks will hopefully be planned.
My favorite thing is school talks. Kids are so engaged and yes, we are motivating them,
but they are motivating us so much and they’re inspiring us to keep going.
I did a speech with the Northern Beaches Council and they recently declared a climate
emergency. I hope soon that in Australia we can start getting more involved within
politics and start declaring more climate emergencies. I would definitely love to be
involved in that and making sure it is actually put into place.
There are a few pivotal climate events occuring in the near future, including a climate strike at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, the U.N. Climate Summit in September, and the Climate Change Conference held in Santiago, Chile, this November. What kind of end goal do you expect and what do you hope a U.N. climate action plan would entail?
I don’t necessarily have an end goal. I understand that economic policy is super
important, however, I do think that climate economic policy needs to become a forefront
issue for our politicians. If we don’t have a climate or a world that is working properly, it
doesn’t matter if our economy is doing well. So the U.N. definitely needs to start looking
more at lowering carbon emissions, especially in developed countries that have the
resources to support renewable energy. If developed countries have the resources, they
can pave the way for less-developed countries that will eventually have similar results.
What advice would you give an aspiring young activist about empowerment and making their voice heard?
Do not underestimate the power that they do have, and people do want to listen to
you. I think it’s important for youth to know that they can make a difference, youth are
25% of the population, but 100% of the future. Adults are making all these decisions and
they are affecting us. You have to make people understand, put them in your shoes, make
them show empathy towards your situation, because we are the ones who are inheriting
the Earth. We all have a right to have a voice. I don’t have a fancy degree, I can’t vote,
but I want to have my voice heard. I think if you have something that you are passionate
about, no matter what it is, just take that and roll with it. I didn’t have a plan in place, so
just take whatever you have, and I didn’t have a network, so write emails, get together
with people who are like-minded, and find an area where you can thrive.
Words by Olivia Hicks
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