The Clean-Up Kid: 13 Year-Old Ocean Conservationist Cash Daniels On How Kids Are The Future Of Ocean Advocacy

In today's episode, I speak with Cash Daniels, an ocean and river conservationist, Time Magazine honorary finalist as "Kid of the Year," and co-founder of the ocean activism and conservation nonprofit called The Cleanup Kids.

Cash had been a big fan of the show for a while, but, as someone being so engaged in ocean conservation at such a young age, I felt Cash's story was impressive and thought he might make an excellent guest. And, as it turns out, I was right, as he was thoughtful, well-spoken, and deeply driven to help other kids realize they can make a difference. 

But beyond that, as the father of a young boy myself, I found myself inspired as he represented the next generation of kids getting involved. 

So when I spoke with Cash last year, he told me a bit about how he first felt a connection with the ocean, why we need to bring more attention to the world's rivers, and the time he connected with sharks off the coast of Florida.

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Episode Transcript

Jason Elias (00:08):
Hi and welcome to the Big Deep podcast.
Big Deep is a podcast aboutpeople who have a connection to
the ocean, people for whom thatconnection is so strong it
defines some aspect of theirlife.
Over the course of this serieswe'll talk to all sorts of
people and in each episode we'llexplore the deeper meaning of

(00:29):
that connection.
Today I speak with a youngocean conservationist who
started his own environmentalorganization at the young age of
13.
Hello, this is your host, jasonElias.
Welcome to the Big Deep podcast.

(00:51):
In today's episode I speak withCash Daniels, an ocean and river
conservationist, time Magazinehonorary finalist as kid of the
year and co-founder of the oceanactivism and conservation
nonprofit called the CleanupKids.
Cash had been a big fan of theshow for a while, but, as
someone being so engaged inocean conservation at such a
young age, I felt Cash's storywas impressive and thought he

(01:13):
might make a great guess.
And, as it turns out, I wasright, as he was thoughtful,
well-spoken and deeply driven tohelp other kids realize they
can make a difference.
But beyond that, as the fatherof a young boy myself, I found
myself inspired as herepresented the next generation
of kids getting involved.
So when I spoke with Cash lastyear.
He told me a bit about how hefirst felt a connection with the

(01:34):
ocean, why we need to bringmore attention to the world's
rivers, and the time heconnected with sharks off the
coast of Florida.

Cash Daniels (01:42):
My name is Cash Daniels and I am 13 years old
from Chattanooga, tennessee.

Jason Elias (01:47):
So, cash, can you tell me when you first remember
thinking you could have animpact on protecting the ocean?

Cash Daniels (01:53):
The first time, I think, I really connected with
the water.
I was seven years old, on abeach vacation with my family in
Daytona and I found a plasticstraw on the beach and earlier
that day I had seen a manta rayand a sea turtle swimming off a

(02:14):
pier and I pieced together thatthat plastic straw would harm
those animals, so I knew I hadto do something to protect those
animals.

Jason Elias (02:24):
Right.
Well, it's super impressivewhat you've already accomplished
with your organization, CleanupKids.
So can you tell me a bit moreabout why you formed the
organization and what you focuson?

Cash Daniels (02:35):
Yes, thank you.
My organization is called theCleanup Kids, a 501c3 nonprofit
I founded with my best friend,ella, who lived in Canada.
We have kids overseas inAustralia, in the Bahamas,
canada and the US so singularlyused plastics are the worst,

(02:57):
since we can only use them onceand then we just throw them out.
It all ends up in water becauseit breaks down and then when it
rains, it washes into stormdrains and then makes its way to
the rivers and then eventuallyto the ocean to make all these
ginormous garbage patches,because 80% of all ocean trash
actually comes from rivers.
The Tennessee River is actuallythe most polluted microplastics

(03:20):
in any other river tested inthe world, and in the river is
the paddlefish it feeds on microplankton live in the river and
it is endangered because it goesalong feeding and all those
micro plastics that are in theriver and it digest that and
Since plastic doesn't biodegrade, it makes them feel like

(03:43):
they're full, but they're reallynot, so then they starve to
death.
So our big goal for the cleanupkids is to pick up one million
pieces of trash, and I'm proudto say we are 750,000 pieces in
around the world.

Jason Elias (04:00):
Right.
Well, that's incredible cashand that's the organization, but
I'm curious what's below that?
What drives you to be sopassionate about the ocean that
you actually want to getinvolved?

Cash Daniels (04:17):
What I think drives me to do something for
the environment is is that Kidsare the future, and it's
important for kids to know thatdoesn't matter how young or old
you are, that you can make adifference.
We only have one planet, sowithout a healthy environment,

(04:45):
we as humans can't survive.
I've actually scuba dive in theriver and I protect it because
I love animals.
So I knew if I didn't doanything then it would just get
worse, and it drives me to dosomething for the environment in

(05:10):
a passionate way.

Jason Elias (05:11):
Well, your passion is evident and is a great
reminder of how everyone canmake a difference, regardless of
where we are, from what ourcircumstances or even how old we
are.
So now I'd love to hear a storyfrom you where you felt
personally connected to being inthe water.
Oh yes, I love sharks and Ireally want to be a conservation

(05:36):
filmmaker, like my friend JimAbernathy.

Cash Daniels (05:43):
He is an amazing shark conservationist and I
recommend him to be on here oneday.
So the time that I felt themost deeply connected to the
water was in Florida, off WestPalm Beach, and I was with Jim

(06:04):
Abernathy and we were going tothe beach and we were going out
to dive with sharks.
The water wasn't calm that day,it was actually pretty rough.
We are about seven miles out tosea.
It was really deep.
There were about 30 lemonsharks and some bull sharks down

(06:30):
at the bottom of the school,but the sharks you could see in
their eyes that they weren't themindless man-eaters that movies
and the internet depicts themto be.
Jim says you can Make aconnection with those sharks and

(06:54):
I did.
That day.
I Made a connection with thosesharks.
After that experience I wasmore deeply connected to the
ocean Because after being in thewater with them, I knew I had

(07:18):
to save those sharks.

Jason Elias (07:25):
Finally, we end every interview and every
episode with a single open-endedquestion.
We ask everyone we talk to whatdoes the ocean mean to you?

Cash Daniels (07:36):
The ocean, to me, means life, because Without a
healthy ocean and healthy riverswe can't have a healthy
ecosystem, and without a healthyecosystem we can't live on this
planet.

Jason Elias (07:53):
Thanks for listening to the Big Deep
podcast Next time on Big Deep.

Cash Daniels (07:59):
Saving their lives is we're paying my debt to the
species that have kept me alivethe all these years, and Not how
far short of my destiny to nothave ended up in prison or in
jail.
They saved me, for us.

Jason Elias (08:12):
We really appreciate you being on this
journey into the Big Deep as weexplore an ocean of stories.
If you like what we're doing,please make sure to subscribe
wherever you listen to podcasts.
Also, please find us on thesocials where you can like and
comment, because thosesubscribes, likes and comments
really make a difference Formore content from our interviews
in our series, photos of everyguest or just to get in touch,

(08:33):
please reach out at our website,big deep comm Plus.
If you know someone you thinkwe should talk to, please let us
know at our big deep website,as we are always looking to hear
more stories from interestingpeople who are deeply connected
to our world's oceans.
Thanks again for joining us.