她開始時(shí)拯救動(dòng)物，現(xiàn)在她的目標(biāo)是拯救海洋

她開始時(shí)拯救動(dòng)物，現(xiàn)在她的目標(biāo)是拯救海洋

Mimi Ausland has big plans for the planet. The 23-year-old is perhaps best known as the founder of Freekibble, an interactive quiz website that encourages users to answer animal trivia questions to fuel donations of pet food to shelters across the U.S.

米米·奧斯蘭對(duì)地球有宏偉的計(jì)劃。現(xiàn)年23歲的她最有名的名字可能是Freekibble的創(chuàng)始人。Freekibble是一個(gè)互動(dòng)問答網(wǎng)站，鼓勵(lì)用戶回答動(dòng)物的一些瑣碎問題，為美國(guó)各地的動(dòng)物收容所捐贈(zèng)寵物食品提供動(dòng)力。

The founder of Freekibble now has her sights set on plastic pollution removal in the ocean. (Photo: Mimi Ausland)

"Looking back on it, I believe the experience showed me that people want to make a difference and that small actions can create big impact," Ausland tells MNN. "Freekibble not only grew my interest in giving back but also in business — specifically in finding ways to combine impact with business. It gave me the belief that if you care about something enough, you can make a difference."

奧斯蘭告訴MNN:“回顧過去，我相信這次經(jīng)歷告訴我，人們想要有所作為，小小的行動(dòng)就能產(chǎn)生巨大的影響。”“免費(fèi)食品不僅增加了我回饋社會(huì)的興趣，也增加了我對(duì)商業(yè)的興趣——尤其是找到將影響力與商業(yè)結(jié)合起來的方法。它讓我相信，如果你足夠關(guān)心某件事，你就能做出改變。”

Freekibble is now eleven years old, and is estimated to have donated nearly $14 million in food and funding to homeless dogs and cats at shelters, rescues and food banks across the country. The website has expanded to include cat litter donations, vaccinations and monthly causes highlighting different animals in need and the people who support them.

Freekibble現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有11年的歷史，據(jù)估計(jì)它已經(jīng)向全國(guó)各地的收容所、救援機(jī)構(gòu)和食品銀行的流浪貓狗捐贈(zèng)了近1400萬(wàn)美元的食物和資金。該網(wǎng)站已擴(kuò)大到包括貓砂捐贈(zèng)、疫苗接種和每月重點(diǎn)關(guān)注不同需要的動(dòng)物和支持它們的人的活動(dòng)。

Once honored as the 2008 ASPCA Kid of the Year, Ausland isn't a kid anymore, but she's still an activist. Her next big move (literally) is the ocean — specifically, plastic pollution. Her new website, Free the Ocean (FTO), is similar to Freekibble in that it's a quiz website that "rewards" you (whether you're right or wrong) when you answer the daily trivia question.

奧斯蘭曾被評(píng)為2008年美國(guó)防止虐待動(dòng)物協(xié)會(huì)(ASPCA)年度兒童，現(xiàn)在她已經(jīng)不再是一個(gè)孩子了，但她仍然是一名積極分子。她的下一個(gè)大動(dòng)作(字面意思)是海洋——特別是塑料污染。她的新網(wǎng)站Free the Ocean (FTO)類似于Freekibble，它是一個(gè)問答網(wǎng)站，當(dāng)你回答日?，嵤聠栴}時(shí)，它會(huì)“獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)”你(無論你是對(duì)的還是錯(cuò)的)。

Trash and debris litter Accra beach in Ghana. (Photo: Muntaka Chasant [SS by SA 4.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

"My inspiration behind FTO was to create a way for people around the world to have a free and fast impact on the very serious issue of plastic pollution," Ausland says. "By combining trivia with impact, you're giving people an educational and (hopefully!) fun way to have a tangible impact."

奧斯蘭德說:“我創(chuàng)辦FTO的靈感來自為世界各地的人們創(chuàng)造一種方式，讓他們能夠免費(fèi)、快速地對(duì)塑料污染這一非常嚴(yán)重的問題產(chǎn)生影響。”“通過把瑣事和影響力結(jié)合起來，你給人們提供了一種有教育意義的(希望如此!)有趣的方式，讓他們產(chǎn)生切實(shí)的影響。”

How exactly does it work? 100 percent of the ad revenue generated on the website goes toward removing plastic. Those funds go directly to their cause partner, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. The nonprofit organizes beach clean-ups and coastal stewardship through social media and a hard-working grassroots team of volunteers. "They're an amazing organization hard at work protecting treasured coastlines by removing plastic and educating the next generation on how to create a world without waste," says Ausland.

它到底是如何工作的?在該網(wǎng)站上產(chǎn)生的廣告收入100%用于去除塑料。這些資金直接流向他們的事業(yè)伙伴，夏威夷的可持續(xù)海岸線。這個(gè)非營(yíng)利組織通過社交媒體和一個(gè)努力工作的基層志愿者團(tuán)隊(duì)來組織海灘清理和海岸管理工作。奧斯蘭說:“他們是一個(gè)了不起的組織，通過移除塑料，教育下一代如何創(chuàng)造一個(gè)沒有垃圾的世界，努力保護(hù)寶貴的海岸線。”

Ausland with the CEO of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Rafael Bergstrom. (Photo: Mimi Ausland)

It's predicted that 18 billions of trash enter the ocean every year. National Geographic estimates that there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and counting. Most of these items will never biodegrade, leading to the creation of massive "trash islands," with the most famous being the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

據(jù)預(yù)測(cè)，每年有180億垃圾進(jìn)入海洋。據(jù)《國(guó)家地理》估計(jì)，海洋中大約有5.25萬(wàn)億塑料碎片，而且還在不斷增加。這些垃圾中的大多數(shù)永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)被生物降解，導(dǎo)致了巨大的“垃圾島”的產(chǎn)生，其中最著名的是太平洋垃圾帶。

Living in Santa Monica, California, it makes sense that this cause is close to Ausland's heart. She adds, "I also want FTO to create awareness of the plastic issue and inspire day-to-day behavioral changes — which is really the most important part of real change. My hope is for FTO to be a bright spot in people's day and leave them with a feeling that they've made a difference, because they have."

住在加州圣莫尼卡，這一事業(yè)與奧斯蘭的心是相通的。她補(bǔ)充道:“我還希望FTO能引起人們對(duì)塑料問題的關(guān)注，并激發(fā)人們每天的行為變化——這才是真正改變的最重要部分。”我希望FTO成為人們生活中的一個(gè)亮點(diǎn)，讓他們感到他們已經(jīng)做出了改變，因?yàn)樗麄円呀?jīng)做出了改變。”