Where Are They Now?: Emily Goldstein - Oceana USA
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April 6, 2010

Where Are They Now?: Emily Goldstein

This is the third in a series of posts about the 2009 Ocean Heroes finalists.

Today we’re catching up with 19-year-old Emily Goldstein, who was an ocean hero finalist because she convinced thousands of people and dozens of large companies to reduce their energy use, saving 16 million pounds of CO2.

She has also given dozens of talks to large groups about climate change and ocean pollution, and in 2008 she donated over 1,000 hours to make the ocean healthier. Emily is planning an ocean awareness day in Louisville, KY, when she’ll set sail on the Ohio River on a boat of recycled bottles.

Emily is a rock star; I’m not sure when she sleeps. Here she is:

“I’m a freshman at the University of Louisville. I’m getting a dual biology/ecology degree, and then I hope to get my PhD in wildlife conservation.  It’s my dream to work in the field doing research on how to save marine wildlife.

I have been a busy little environmentalist this year. I have been trying to get someone to fund my ocean awareness day, but I guess the economy has made it hard for everyone to raise money.  I haven’t given up on it, though, and I will make it happen eventually. 

In the meantime, I have been giving presentations on how climate change and plastic pollution is affecting the ocean to thousands of people, and have set up dozens of booths to get the word out. In fact, I just got back from giving a talk to 300 people as a keynote speaker at an environmental summit. 

My biggest accomplishment this year, though, is that I have been working with large companies on changing their energy use policies, and have convinced 50 groups to commit. This equates to around 50 million pounds of CO2 saved per year. 

I use my passion for the ocean to get my message across, and I am amazed at how much response I am getting. I am working right now with the State of Kentucky’s IT offices on turning off all computers at night, and I am helping to organize a conference in October for healthcare providers to help them learn how to go green.  I am also working closely with our congressional representative on what we need to do in our state.”

Go Emily! Don’t forget to nominate the ocean heroes in your life, too.