JACOB DARRINGER

Jacob is a Senior at Riverdale Country School in Riverdale, New York. He is passionate about sustainability and climate change. 

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​As a child, he would spend hours digging for crabs at a local pond, fascinated by their existence in the water. Then the pond, where he also kayaked and swam, became filled with toxic algae due to excess use of fertilizers and pesticides. The pond that he loved was no longer safe for him, or any living thing.

 

Seeing first-hand the detrimental impact humans are having on our ecosystems fueled his interest in learning how to prevent the further destruction of our planet. His passion for this work and love of science led him to attend the Island School, in Eleuthera, Bahamas, for six weeks during Summer 2023. While there, he studied marine ecology and sustainability alongside professional scientists. He lived in a community that relied on sustainable systems, including solar energy, wind turbines and water-collection-cisterns. He studied different modes of hydroponic systems and engaged in hands-on work managing the systems and growing food for the dining hall. He also learned to SCUBA dive where he witnessed mass coral bleaching in the ocean.These experiences gave him a front row seat to our planet’s dire situation and inspired him to be a catalyst for change. 

 

Jacob is looking forward to scaling Operation: Hydroponics for Kids across New York so that he can spread awareness of using different modes of sustainability to work towards alleviating the ongoing climate crisis. His goal is to ensure all kids understand that no conscious effort towards being sustainable is too small to make meaningful change for our planet.