Hi, my name is Layla. My friends and fellow Helping Ninjas: Shruti, Ava, Saigan, Saniah, Maddie and me went to the Indianapolis Zoo on Sunday September 25th to a Girls In Science Event.
An event to learn about why it is important for girls to go into the field of Science and how it can be really fun and also change the world.
We played ocean games. Danni Washington was my partner. The game we played was guess the ocean animal. We had stickers on our back of a name of an ocean animal and they have to guess what it is.
We went behind the scenes at the Zoo’s Ocean world. We got to see how they turn water into ocean water so ocean animals have a place to live at the zoo. We also go to see the aquariums.
My favorite part was meeting Danni Washington. I also loved going behind the scenes and seeing all the ocean animals! I also liked a game we played called “I am.” We all took turns saying one word about ourselves.
I said, “I am thoughtful.”
Danni also signed my copy of her new book: Bold Women In Science, and also signed my friends books too!
If you want to check out her new book, click here!
My friend Shruti and I are going to interview Danni on our new Helping Ninjas Podcast! She will be our first official guest. We are so excited and honored to be able to interview a REAL Helping Ninja and ocean advocate. Stay tuned!
To learn more about Danni and also watch her show and/or listen to her Podcast!
In 2021 I won the brilliant firefly award because of my change.org petition and all of the climate activism I did throughout my life. It was an honor to visit the Indiana State House and receive this award. I also got to bring my grandpa.
In honor of Earth Day2021, 100% of the proceeds of our Helping Ninjas Emoji Sticker Pack will go to helping The Nature Conservancy.
Helping Ninjas Emoji Sticker App is available for 99 cents. Just one act of kindness can help save the world. Consider helping us help Earth by purchasing our sticker pack so that we can help The Nature Conservancy.
Consider helping the planet and help restore the Earth.
The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
Founded in the U.S. through grassroots action in 1951, The Nature Conservancy has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than a million members and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and over 400 scientists, we impact conservation in 72 countries and territories: 38 by direct conservation impact and 34 through partners.
100% of all Helping Ninja Emoji Sticker Pack sales on Earth Day, Thursday April 22nd will go towards The Nature Conservancy.
Consider following The Nature Conservancy on Twitter to continue to support their efforts.
Our mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Our vision is a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives. OUR CHALLENGE Only by working together can we give people hope, keep our wildlife wild and keep our home whole. And ensure the future of a world that sustains us all.
Ever wondered what it is like being an aquarium educator?
I thought I would talk about what it’s like being an educator at a non-profit institution, like the Florida Aquarium, where I am currently working.
If you’re new to my story, my name is Sydney and I’m a marine biology graduate from Auburn University. Feel free to go and read my previous blog posts about my time at Dauphin Island Sea Lab and starting my marine biology career so that you aren’t confused about where I came from. This is an overdue continuation of my story!
I’m not going to go into too much detail about the Florida Aquarium to avoid repetition from my last blog post, but it’s an amazing place that cares a LOT about conservation of our oceans. On top of the main campus where they conduct tons of research on the different animals like sharks and jellies, they also have their Center for Conservation about 40 minutes south of the Aquarium in Apollo Beach where they have a sea turtle hospital and a huge coral greenhouse! They have been successful in breeding pillar corals in a controlled-setting (meaning not in the wild, where anything can happen) and actually help the Coral Restoration Foundation in outplanting corals in the wild in the Florida Keys, which means taking the corals that have been growing in a farm setting and planting them in the wild to create new reefs.
We do so much with coral, that we added a new interactive exhibit about it and created a commercial to air during the Super Bowl this year! (You might see a familiar face…)
Helping Ninja Sydney, Super Bowl 2021
I will add links below to the Florida Aquarium’s conservation mission, the Coral Restoration Foundation so you can read more about what they are doing in the Florida Keys, and the Aquarium’s Super Bowl commercial on YouTube.
Florida Aquarium Super Bowl Commercial:
The Center for Conservation is actually right down the road from the TECO Manatee Viewing Center (MVC), where I worked from November 2019 to March 2020. Now, this is a completely separate facility from the Florida Aquarium and is actually owned by the Tampa Electric Co., but the Aquarium has a stingray touch habitat there!
While I was there, I was an educator for the stingrays (and occasionally the wild manatees). MVC is built next to TECO’s Big Bend Power Plant, which is right on the Bay. Because it’s a partially hydroelectric power plant (meaning water is used to create electricity), a canal was built to release the heated water that was already used to create power. Manatees come here as they please to see warmth, so they built a center and a boardwalk to safely observe them without disturbing their peace. I’ll provide a link to the webcam at the power plant so you can actually see if there are manatees there now!
They have basically no body fat, which is what keeps mammals warm, so they have to migrate to warm waters during the winter time. Manatees can get cold stressed very easily when water temperatures are below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, so the canal at Big Bend Power Plant was a perfect spot for the manatees to take shelter. Because manatees are a vulnerable to threatened species, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had to declare that canal a manatee sanctuary, so no boats are allowed in the water there to protect them! Boats are one of the number one causes of manatee deaths because they are a very slow and curious animal; they like to investigate and get too close for comfort! Actually, when manatees are rescued, rehabilitated, and then released, FWC uses the scarring from boat propellors on their backs to identify them in the wild to make sure they’re still doing well. I’ll leave links for FWC and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Rescue Team, who partner with FWC for manatee rescues and releases.
Going back to my actual job, I was a seasonal educator for the stingray touch habitat! It’s a free attraction in the Tampa Bay area from November to April every year, so I would meet vacationers from all over the world. A lot of these people have never even seen, much less touched, a stingray before, so it’s a very rewarding job. I love to be the person to introduce someone to a new animal and educate them on how wonderful the animal is. On top of educating with strange scientific terms, I also would have to modify how I spoke based on my audience, whether it was a group of elementary school kids, a group from a nursing home, or a family vacationing from another country. This is why the job of aquarium educator is also called an “interpreter!” I interpret information to guests based on their own backgrounds (from what I can gather in that short amount of time). It’s exhausting work, but that’s what makes it so interesting.
I took a short break from the Aquarium between March 2020 and November 2020 for a few reasons, but the main one was the pandemic. Because of this, the Aquarium wasn’t hiring any permanent positions, so I patiently waited until they posted that they were hiring. When they announced they were hiring again in November, I jumped on it! I’m so blessed that they offered me a permanent position back in the education department. I’ve been back for about 4 months now. In the beginning I was playing catchup and learning all of the new rules for the COVID-19 policies they put in place, but now I’m back in the swing of things! I’m learning new things and I’m able to talk to different, interesting guests every time I’m at work. Unlike MVC, the aquarium has multiple touch habitats and dozens of different exhibits to interpret, a wild dolphin cruise where you ride out into Tampa Bay and look for wildlife, and dozens of table activities and talks on different animal and conservation topics. I always have something new I can work on.
As for the touch habitats, I interpret how to touch stingrays, invertebrates (animals that have no bones) like anemones, sea stars, and urchins, and jellies (yes, you can touch a jellyfish at the Florida Aquarium)! What’s awesome about the system at the Aquarium is I’m never at the same spot for too long because we rotate every 30 minutes. Sometimes I’ll accidentally end up following the same family around the aquarium like I’m their own personal guide! But I actually love it when that happens because I can connect with those guests more than the ones that I only see for a couple of minutes at a time.
If this is the kind of job that you would love to do, I highly recommend it! If you aren’t at the age to have a job yet, don’t worry! There are plenty of other ways to get involved at your local aquarium, zoo, conservation center, etc. Always be on the look out for camps for over the summer and on breaks!
You are able to get your foot in the door to see if that’s something that interests you. Volunteering is another great way to get involved (and I know that the Helping Ninjas LOVES opportunities to do so)! Non-profits always post different clean-ups or other events on their websites and social media that you can register to participate in. Lots of aquarium and zoos also have volunteers that work behind the scenes with the animals and some that actually help interpret just like I do!
This is a great opportunity for high schoolers and college students so that you can see if it’s a path you would like to head down. If I had that opportunity when I was younger, I would have taken it in a heart-beat! It provides experience and looks awesome on a resume. Another one for college students is internships. While most are unpaid, they provide amazing experience and add lots to your skillset while you’re still taking classes.
And I think that’s about it! Thank you for reading this far. I know that was a lot of information to take in. Be on the lookout for my next blog post in the future about my amazing career as an aquarium educator! Talk to you soon!
Written By:
Sydney Holpp, Helping Ninja, Tampa Bay Florida, Age 24
“This is an important matter, and people are coming together,” he said. “I started Helping Ninjas because I wanted to help the environment and then help the world. And I wanted to teach other people how to voice their opinions … everyone’s voice matters.” – Leo Berry
Leo Berry, Founder of Helping Ninjas
Berry is also a member of Earth Charter Indiana, which is how he was first introduced to state politics. Since then, he’s met with Senator J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, and other state politicians to discuss hopes for sustainable policy.
He said he’s glad to see so many people — and young people, in particular — speaking out against SB 389. After all, it’s why he started Helping Ninjas in the first place.
Today in modern Indiana Senate Bill 389 it was stated that it would lift all the protections for wetlands and it SB 389 and overwrite the bill that is defending the wetlands. We need to stop this and protect our Indiana wetlands.
By Leo Berry, Age 11, Helping Ninjas Founder
Today in modern Indiana Senate Bill 389 stated that it would lift all the protections for wetlands and SB 389 is to overwrite the bill that is currently defending wetlands. We need to stop this and protect our Indiana wetlands.
When I read this, I felt mad and worried. I am witnessing leaders enlist danger to our future. We should all choose planet over profit.
So I sit here and think: Why is it that this world we live in is so driven by outcomes that do not always work in favor of nature?
We have a right to a secure future, one that we can live in. The world that has been given to us, all of these wonderful things, and we continue to destroy it. If we continue to take everything from this world, there will be nothing left and neither will we.
Leo Berry is in the fifth grade.
Leo is Helping Ninjas Founder, An attendee at Indiana’s first-Youth Climate Rally, Attendee at Earth Charter Indiana’s 2020 Climate Camp, and participant in the Virtual #GlobalClimateStrike 2020. Leo has met with StateHouse officials in 2020, and also attended the hearing of Senate Bill 229 at the Indiana State House 2020.
“Update 12:45 p.m. Jan. 25. 2021: Lawmakers passed SB 389 out of the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee Monday afternoon, after more than two hours of testimony and discussion. The final 8-3 vote fell along party lines. The bill will now head to the Senate floor.” —Indy Star January 25, 2021
Anti-Wetlands Bill 2021 SB 389 would eliminate protection of state wetlands in Indiana, and most of our wetlands are state wetlands. In the 1980’s, it was estimated that only 15% of Indiana’s original wetlands were left. In 2003 the legislature recognized the value of preserving the remaining wetlands and wrote the state wetlands law. Wetlands provide water purification and critical wildlife habitat and absorb large quantities of water which reduces flood risk. SB 389 will likely be heard in the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee this week. – Hoosier Environmental Council
The importance of composting. What it is and how you can start.
Helping to eliminate food waste is simple and effective. You can make a difference today and can impact the world tomorrow.
About one third of all food produced worldwide is either lost or wasted. It makes up about 30% of what is “thrown away.” Waste scraps of food are sent to landfills where they will rot and produce methane gas and is more potent than carbon dioxide. Composting is one way to solve this problem and is natures way of recycling. And, it’s easier than you think.
DIY compost bins or piles or compost services can be a surprisingly inexpensive and a fun family, neighborhood, student or school project.
From the Experts
Helping Ninjas sat down with three composting service company owners, all helping to reduce food waste and passionate about what they do.
Here is what they had to say about the importance of composting and how each of their companies can help!
Earth Mama Compost
Each week, this woman-owned, compost-hauler business in the Midwest, collects two tons of food waste. Approximately 75% comes from residents.
Heather Maybury owner of Earth Mama Compost, wants citizens to have an option and is empowering community members to make a change, “If we choose to discard of food waste into the landfills, it will remain for decades emitting carbon dioxide and methane gas. Composting food waste can reduce the burden on our landfills up to 20%.”
According to an EPA report in 2014, 56 % of food waste in the U.S. was residential.
“When you compost, it ensures the plants grow at an optimal rate, plants will not get as large as they would with use of synthetics fertilizer, and that’s actually a good thing. Fast growth creates a weak cell structure in plants and makes them more supple to disease. Compost creates vibrant, stronger, more nutrient rich plants.”
Heather Maybury, Owner, Earth Mama
When visiting Colorado, Heather saw a similar company operating and thought that Indiana needed one too. She started a former composting company in 2009: Curbside Compostables, before purchasing Earth Mama in 2012.
“After doing the research, then finding out food waste doesn’t breakdown in the landfill and adds to the pollution in the atmosphere—I knew I had to do something.”
To date, Earth Mama Compost has rescued over 93,000 lbs. of food waste!
Heather at Earth Mama is a Helping Ninja. “All hands up” for efforts to help lead the way and pave a path to a greener future in the state of Indiana. 🙌🙌🏿🙌🏾🙌🏼🙌🏽
Earth Mama and Helping Ninjas collaborate on student-led composting projects.
Examples: School compost pilots and program, youth and community education and outreach, opportunities for youth and families to compost.
If you are interested in starting to compost, whether it be at home, in your neighborhood, at school or with your friends contact: info@kidscompost.com.
RE317
“We have the power to do something over nothing—what we do matters. Many things in life are circular, by teaching our children to be good stewards of the earth it will last a lifetime.”
Nicole Pasquerelli, Owner RE317
Nicole and daughters.
RE317 launched in September of 2020 and so far has saved 3,500 pounds of pumpkins, composted over 1000 lbs of food waste — this is equivalent to saving 212 gallons of gas for the average car to drive 5,000 miles.
Currently RE317 services Hamilton County Indiana and other areas by request. Visit RE317.com for more information about current and future services, or contact: Nicole@RE317.com
Nicole and her family plants trees on the one year anniversary of the person who signed up for services. The service member will also receive an impact report twice a year, as well as getting a free 5-gallon bin of finished compost in the spring.
Nicole has big dreams for the company. She wants to be able to work alongside other local small businesses, bring employment opportunities to military veterans, enhance their green service by offering more products for the community – and hopes to inspire and teach children about composting along the way.
🙌🙌🏿🙌🏾🙌🏼🙌🏽 All hands up for RE317! Nicole and her family are Helping Ninjas! Helping Ninjas applauds their efforts and extends gratitude for efforts to help our planet!
Green With Indy
Green With Indy is a year-round compost pickup service dedicated to residential areas and commercial businesses in Indianapolis and surrounding areas, including some of Indy’s favorite foodie restaurants.
Founded and designed by the Herron School of Art + Design students in 2017 all whom shared a vision to be good stewards of the Earth and enrich the communities of Indianapolis with an easy disposal of their food waste.
The students work with the local communities of Indianapolis by offering their services to both residential and commercial areas of business. Green With Indy services events and special occasions. All of the compost picked up goes straight to GreenCycle of Indiana, where it is then turned into a rich soil to utilize in growing local and wholesome garden table vegetables.
“How does composting save the soil? We can prevent leachate from poisoning our soil by composting the biodegradable materials. Composting is an acceleration of the same process nature uses to decompose organic materials into a rich material, known as compost. By composting, you are returning nutrients back into the soil in order for the cycle of life to continue.”
Green With Indy
🙌🙌🏿🙌🏾🙌🏼🙌🏽 A Helping Ninja all hands up for the students and partners of Green With Indy! Check our their helpful composting guide and to learn more: Green With Indy, or contact: info@greenwithindy.com
Helping Ninjas believes everyone should have the means to compost their food waste and help to eliminate food waste. Helping Ninjas Kids Compost brings kids and families together, learning how to compost and helping the planet.
Helping Ninjas is committed to bringing the awareness to the importance of composting and education to youth around the world and opportunities to compost firsthand. Providing both opportunities for children to learn about compost and opportunities to experience it and connect with local compost companies and even start a neighborhood compost of their own or at school, visit KidsCompost.com.
Get involved with your community and reduce food waste and create sustainable futures for generations to come — sign up today for Kids Compost and begin your journey to living sustainably!
Helping Ninjas across the U.S. are collecting cards to deliver to local VFWs this week in honor of Veterans Day. ❤️Helping Ninjas is helping to ensure that veterans are remembered and given the honor and gratitude deserved.
Veterans day is an important day because to respect this who fought to protect us and our country all of the branches of the military who defend our freedom us on land, sea, air, and in the cyberspace.
Consider participating in Helping Ninjas “Thank A Service Person” Initiative by creating a card and posting, tag #ThankAServicePerson #HelpingNinjas.
Thank you,
Leo, Helping Ninjas Founder
#ThankAServicePerson
You can also create cards and mail or deliver to your local VFW!
Need help? Contact us to find a Helping Ninja near you collecting cards or to find a VFW near you! Helping Ninjas can help with postage costs if necessary, email info@helpingninjas.com
🎃♻️ Helping Ninjas to the rescue! In efforts to help our environment by lessening the amount of waste to our landfills!
Helping Ninja youth are collecting pumpkins throughout the community and providing a more reasonable option for community members and neighbors to rid of their Halloween pumpkins.
What goes in landfills doesn’t stay there — it makes its way back to us as toxins and pollutants and can cause harm to us and wildlife and damage eco systems. It’s so very important we all become aware of this and the necessity to find more sustainable solutions.
Consider composting or repurposing your pumpkins and opt not to send to landfills! 🧡
Helping Ninjas are donating the pumpkins to local farms for their pigs, goats, cattle & chickens.
Thank you to Helping Ninjas Quinn, Evan and Maya and Mama Ninjas Melanie, Kristin and Jennifer for the pumpkin rescue!!
Look 👀 at all these pumpkins rescued!! 💚
Please email us info@helpingninjas.com if you know of any other farms near you accepting pumpkins so we can with other youth and families and more Helping Ninjas can help the planet too!
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Helping Ninjas would love to hear how you responsibly dispose of, or repurpose your pumpkins! Comment on our blog post or email: info@helpingninjas.com.
