Emma Lynn has always cared for the environment. Now, she's taking steps to protect our ecosystem and encouraging others to do the same.
HOLMDEL, NJ — Holmdel High School student Emma Lynn has always had a strong love for the environment.
Emma, 16, has grown up immersed in nature. Whether she was searching for birds in her backyard or helping sort plastics into their proper trash cans, her love for the environment is something that has always been a part of her life and everyday actions.
After noticing an increase in plastics floating along Sandy Hook and other local beaches, Emma was driven to begin research on the impacts plastic can have on the environment and how they can harm birds in particular through things like ingestion or entanglement.
This research led Emma to create “Bags for Birds NJ,” an environmental initiative that aims to prevent single-use plastics from entering New Jersey’s coastal habitats and protect the state’s shorebirds — one bag at a time.
“I’ve always cared about the environment,” Emma told Patch. “I’ve always wanted to help protect it, and things like people putting plastics in the wrong trash can have always bothered me.”
“So after I did a little research, I thought creating an alternative for plastics with a focus on shore birds would be a really good initiative to help get the public involved and educated on the issue,” Emma continued.
Through a grant provided by the Holmdel Foundation for Educational Excellence, and with support from the Student Environmental Advocates and Leaders Program (SEAL) through Clean Ocean Action, Emma was able to start “Bags for Birds NJ,” creating and hand-screen printing hundreds of reusable recycled cotton tote bags using photo emulsion.
Each reusable bag distributed through the project comes with a clear message, Emma said: Your daily choices matter.
“Thanks so much for picking up this bag – it’s a small way to make a big difference,” Emma writes in a note included with each bag. “Every time you choose to use this reusable bag instead of a plastic one, you’re helping to protect shorebirds by keeping plastic out of our oceans.”
Part of the “Bags for Birds NJ” initiative also encourages residents to think beyond replacing just grocery bags, as Emma recommends using the reusable bag for takeout, trips to the library, transporting items to the gym or school, or even gift wrapping.
By encouraging residents to get to know their shorebirds, Emma hopes to inspire a deeper connection between the community and local wildlife. To help with that, each bag includes a bookmark that doubles as a mini-guide to identifying common shorebirds along the shore.
So far, Emma has distributed bags and bookmarks during Earth Day events, through local libraries and through visits to elementary school classes.
“Everyone has loved them [the bags] so far,” Emma said. “When I’m handing them out, everyone has a smile on their faces, and it makes me feel really good inside and like I’m really getting my message out there.”
Plastic pollution poses a major threat to marine ecosystems, according to National Geographic, with 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris and counting in the ocean. Additionally, over 80% of beach litter is plastic, according to Clean Ocean Action's Beach Sweeps data, and 34% of debris collected during beach sweeps is packaging.
Plastic pollution also claims the lives of countless shore and sea birds each year, according to the American Bird Conservancy. These deaths are largely driven by ingestion (when birds swallow plastics) and entanglement (when birds are trapped or strangled by plastic materials).
Despite these statistics, there is hope, Emma said, and that hope starts with action.
Going forward, Emma is encouraging community members to build new habits that reduce plastic, including:
“I really hope [the community] takes away just trying their best to recycle – not just for the birds, but for the environment as a whole,” Emma said. “Because global warming is a real issue, along with plastic getting into different environments and beings, so I hope people better understand what they’re doing when they recycle.”
To learn more about this initiative or how to get involved, you can visit the Bags for Birds NJ Instagram page.