Daily Dot: Chicago Kids Create Trash-Fighting Drone

Dear Reader,

Among the things that make Chicago wonderful (Reader, have you ever tried the peanut butter pie at The Oakville Grill & Cellar? I salivate at the mere thought of it … ) is its location on one of the great Great Lakes: Lake Michigan. A group of students that are equally enamored with Lake Michigan noticed something disturbing: the amount of trash on its area beaches. According to a story on Earth911, “cigarette butts, plastic packaging, and glass bottles are buried in the sand and drift out into the water. The litter makes its way into the homes and stomachs of animals, causing injuries due to toxic chemicals and blockages in their digestive systems. Surfers Against Sewage states that one in every three fish consumed contains plastic. In fact, more than 100,000 marine mammals die each year because of plastic ingestion.”

But these students, led by Inika Bansal and Kelly Eng, refused to turn a blind eye to the problem, instead devising a solution. “Eccodrone is a nonprofit organization that began as a group of students seeking to clean beaches,” the story, written by the students, tells us. “Using our technological expertise, we sought to develop an automated drone system to detect trash.” But the organization does so much more than that. At Inika and Kelly’s high school, Eccodrone works with other students on drone building and sharing sustainability initiatives with students across the Chicago area and, in particular, teaching them about the value of technology to address climate concerns. 

Their advice to other young people keen to create positive change? “From volunteering at local organizations to joining park cleanups to creating clubs in our own neighborhoods, we start in our community,” they say.

Let’s hear it for these young climate champs leading the way to not just cleaner beaches but a cleaner world. 

Neighborly,

Dot 

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