Cash Daniels and Ella Rossen, both 12 years old and from Chattanooga, are among 16 young environmental activists from across the globe to receive a 2022 International Young Eco-Hero Award, announced Action For Nature. This award honors eco-conscious youth ages eight to 16 who are taking steps to solve environmental problems.
Winners of the International Young Eco-Hero Award are selected by a panel of independent judges, including experts in environmental science, biology and education.
Since 2003, Action For Nature has recognized more than 341 Eco-Heroes from over 31 countries and 26 U.S. states.
Cash and Ella won Third Place in the eight-12 year-old category for their project, "The Cleanup Kids."
Cash Daniels and Ella Rossen have made cleaning up the environment their mission. For their largest project, “One Million Piece Pickup,” they have enlisted their peers in the U.S., Canada and the Bahamas to pick up one million pieces of trash – and are already more than halfway to their goal.
“Young people like Cash and Ella have shown that the next generation of leaders is here, and they are taking action across the globe now to address the climate crisis and solve local, national, and global environmental challenges,” said Beryl Kay, president of Action For Nature, an international non-profit organization that encourages young people to nurture a love and respect for the Earth and to take personal action to improve the environment. “The projects that young people like Cash and Ella have created are having real and important impacts on their communities, helping to solve global climate challenges and are inspiring others – including adults – to do what they can to help.”
“We plan to continue to address the needs of our blue planet, focused on our rivers and oceans as well as our wildlife,” said Cash and Ella. “We really want to continue to encourage others to change and help our planet.”
To read more about Cash and Ella’s work, visit thecleanupkids.org.
To learn more about this year’s International Young Eco-Hero Award winners, visit www.actionfornature.org.