In this episode of “Do Beautiful Things,” host Jenny Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, shines a spotlight on the extraordinary impact of local action and environmental stewardship along Florida’s vibrant reef-lined coast.
Joining Jenny is Anna Bennett, founder of Reel it in for the Reefs, an annual underwater cleanup initiative inspired by her compassion for sea turtles like Bella, a hawksbill rescued from a life-threatening fishing line entanglement. Anna shares how a single act of care ignited South Florida’s largest reef cleanup in history, rallying divers, charter boats, and volunteers to remove hundreds of pounds of fishing line, plastic, and marine debris from vital habitats.
Together, Jenny and Anna discuss the preventable dangers marine life face, the power of community-driven change, and how every individual—whether a fisher, diver, or coastal resident—can make a meaningful difference for our oceans and wildlife. As part of the Greatest American Cleanup, Reel it in for the Reefs exemplifies what can happen when people come together to protect the places and creatures they love.
Tune in to this inspiring episode to hear Anna’s journey from local diver to community leader, discover tips for responsible fishing and underwater stewardship, and find out how you can support reef cleanups in your area.
Episode Links:
- Keep America Beautiful: https://kab.org/
- Greatest American Cleanup: https://kab.org/greatest-american-cleanup/
- Reel it in for the Reefs: https://reelitinforthereefs.org/
- National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation: https://savetheseaturtle.org/
Show Notes:
- 00:00 Reel it in for Reefs
- 04:24 Turtles Endangered by Fishing Line
- 07:46 Underwater Reef Cleanup Initiative
- 12:57 Protecting Reefs and Sea Turtles
- 14:00 Responsible Fishing: Reel in Your Line
- 17:14 "Americans Unite for a Greener Future"
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com