小小男孩的環保事業

Zoya Siddiqui

三歲的雷恩在某一天跟著爸爸搜集自家及鄰居的瓶瓶罐罐，當爸爸將一袋袋的瓶子投進回收機后，回收機竟換出了現金，這讓雷恩感到雀躍，并開啟了自己的環保事業！

A decade ago, three-year-old Ryan Hickman and his father, Damion, made a trip to their local recycling center in California.Afterwards, Ryan proposed an idea to his parents.He wanted to hand out plastic bags to his neighbors so that they could save their recyclables for him.

“We thought it was kind of funny at first because he was so little,”Damion said during a recent interview.“And then,week after week, we realized he was really into it, so we thought that was pretty cool.”Now 13,Ryan is the founder of Ryan's Recycling Company.To date, he has recycled more than 1.7 million cans and bottles.

In 2016, a story about Ryan's efforts went viral, attracting global attention.Since then,he has been featured on several media platforms and honored with numerous awards.

Ryan is also the founder of a nonprofit organization called Project3R.Established in 2020, its goal is to raise people's climate and recycling awareness through beach cleanups and other events.He told me about a recent beach cleanup,which involved about 300 people.

Every Saturday, Ryan and his father make their weekly rounds in Orange County, where they live.They collect recyclable items such as plastic cans and bottles.The items are eventually sorted at their house or at their local recycling center, where the recyclables are weighed and cashed in.

Ryan continues to inspire people around the world.He enjoys recycling and plans to continue doing so for as long as he can.“Every little bit makes a big difference.Just start small.Even one bottle can help,”he said.

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Why was Project3R set up?

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