This week I was featured on the SIMPLE ACTS, BIG IMPACT podcast with host, Natalie Silverstein. I had a fun time talking to her and you can listen to the podcast here.
Ryan Hickman developed a passion for recycling before he was in elementary school; now a ninth-grader at San Juan Hills High, he’s educated thousands of his peers around the globe on why they should care about keeping plastics and other debris out of the ocean.
“The trash ends up in the ocean, and animals are eating it,” the 14-year-old said. “Picking up a piece of trash may save a turtle’s life.”
And, he’s picked up more than a piece. Since 2012, he estimates that he and others who helped him have collected some 2 million bottles and cans from beaches, lakes and rivers.
On Saturday, April 20, Hickman, with a bunch of volunteers who follow him and Project 3R, the nonprofit he created, will start a five-week campaign to remove trash from five beaches along the Southern California coast and from some in Mexico. The effort kicks off at Dockweiler Beach in Playa Del Rey, and will include other teen influencers among the volunteers.
Thank you Capistrano Dispatch for featuring the latest story about Project3R in your Green Issue. FUN FACT: The first time I was interviewed was actually for the Green Issue in 2016. Read the full article here (page 18-19)
On 4/9/24, it was another super fun GREEN NIGHT at the Honda Center with the Anaheim Ducks Foundation. The Ducks won the game against the Los Angeles Kings, we had an awesome recycle drive before the game, I was on the jumbotron and I got to ride the Zamboni! Thank you to the Youth Leadership Board of Project3R for helping make a difference and to everyone who recycled with us and cleaned the beach last week with us. Thank you Anaheim Ducks Foundation for supporting Project3R. #GoDucks!
As if that wasn’t enough excitement, I got invited by the Los Angeles Kings to drop the puck to start the game against the Calgary Flames on 4/11 – it was my second Jumbotron appearance and Zamboni ride of the week! I had an amazing time at the game last night. Thank you Kings Care Foundation, the LA Kings and Mercury Insurance. Congratulations to the Kings on clinching a playoff spot with the win.
This week we put together a great beach clean up event in Long Beach, California with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. This was our third annual event and this year Mercury Insurance was involved with making this event happen. We had a great turnout and we filmed our new Project3R tv commercial that you might see if you live in Southern California or attend a Kings or Ducks game next week. We picked up 858 lbs of trash which is a new record for us and we had a lot of fun!
I also got to meet Hall of Fame hockey player (and president of the Kings), Luc Robitaille. This coming week, We’ll be recycling at the Ducks/Kings game at the Honda Center with our Project3R Youth Leadership Team. Bring a can or bottle to recycle at the game and you might win some cool prizes. I’ll also be at the Kings game on the 11th at the Crypto Arena to drop the puck to start the game. Thank you everyone who came out and helped in Long Beach and I’ll see everyone at the next beach clean up!
NHL Green Beach Clean Up with LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks & Mercury Insurance on Monday, April 1, 2024.
NHL Green Beach Clean Up with LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks & Mercury Insurance on Monday, April 1, 2024.
NHL Green Beach Clean Up with LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks & Mercury Insurance on Monday, April 1, 2024.
Thank you BoldJourney Magazine for the recent interview. Read it here.
I’ve been so busy that I didn’t get a chance to upload photos from this fun event until now. Last month I got invited to speak at WorkWonder Con in Los Angeles about my recycling efforts and I had a great time meeting everyone. The event was an exclusive day-long convention designed by youth for youth that builds professional skills and connects employers to talented young people ready to thrive in the workforce. The team behind WorkWonder Con will be helping me at a future beach clean up event soon!
Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, Senator Janet Nguyen and her office and Hyundai for partnering with Project3R for our Huntington Beach clean up. We had a great turnout, the weather was amazing and we had a total of 167 lbs of trash picked up! See you all at the next event! Check out my photo gallery for lots of pics for this event.
Thank you CBS Evening News for featuring my story tonight.
Ryan Hickman is 14 years old and already has a non-profit recycling business under his belt. He has also appeared on talk shows, met celebrities and travelled in a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea. But, as Ryan explains, nothing compares to the impact he has made from recycling, and helping others to recycle, millions of cans and bottles.
What ignited your passion for recycling?
When I was three years old, my dad and I took a few small bags to the local recycling centre. I just loved seeing all the cans and bottles being sorted and crushed up. As I got a bit older, I had an idea to ask all our neighbours to start recycling with me, too.
How does Ryan’s Recycling work?
Ryan’s Recycling started with people calling or emailing my dad and leaving their cans and bottles for me to collect, rather than throwing them away. We pick up the items on weekends, and then I sort them and take them to be recycled. Most people I recycle with have been my customers for a long time, so they’ve seen me grow up over the past 11 years. I collect every week and have hundreds of customers. The money I make from the recycling redemption fees goes towards my college fund.
Two years ago, we started a residential programme called Recycle From which is a non-profit business and has thousands of customers. We have a fleet of vans and a team of drivers who collect cans and bottles from customers in select cities. We pay our customers for their cans and bottles.
Read more… https://futurumcareers.com/its-never-too-early-or-too-late-to-make-a-difference
