Kai Lenny’s work to curb plastic pollution is getting global recognition. Photo: Koury Angelo//Red Bull
What does Kai Lenny have in common with Harrison Ford and basketball player Russell Westbrook? He joins these celebrities on National Geographic’s “33,” a celebration of visionaries. The name “33” is to honor the original founders of the publication.
Lenny was honored for his advocacy to curb plastic pollution, from local beach cleanups in Maui to his role as an ambassador for A New Earth Project, which strives to reimagine the materials used in packaging.
“Beach cleanups are just the tip of the iceberg, and I’ve had the great pleasure of working with great organizations to find solutions to our ocean plastic problem,” said Lenny. “A New Earth Project on turning off the tap of single-use plastics and finding new sustainable packaging solutions (and) Love the Sea for their shoreline cleans ups in hard-to-reach, remote areas.”
Lenny has been letting Love the Sea use his personal, decommissioned Coast Guard boat to access those areas for plastic removal.
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National Geographic highlights Lenny as the youngest-ever Surfers’ Hall of Fame inductee, an honor he received at 26 years old. Lenny told the historic pub that the ocean has 171 trillion pieces of plastic floating around, and that attempting to remove them “can feel like trying to empty a bathtub with a teaspoon — while the faucet is running.”
“You learn to have a deep appreciation of, and in a way, ownership over, the ocean and your own beaches,” Lenny added. “It’s like your own living room, and you don’t want someone to come in and trash your own living room.”
Lenny, one of the most recognizable faces of surfing, is getting a deserved boost for his advocacy.
