|
I'm so excited about the opportunity to be recognized as a "Leading Girls Building Communities" award recipient for Waterloo Region. MPP Catherine Fife has been such a terrific supporter and I'm thrilled to have been nominated by Christine Tolton and to have the support of my family and my community.
Susan Cook-Sheerer interviewed us on Rogers TV daytime a few weeks ago and I am so happy to be able to talk about my passion for planet preservation and my support for AfriOceans Conservation Alliance. I never dreamed I would win this award or appear on TV to talk about being an ocean warrior, but here I am! My message to you is to believe in yourself even if you feel afraid and even if you have hurdles or obstacles. They are just opportunities to challenge you and help you stretch and grow in ways you never thought possible. For our oceans and endangered marine animals and all the moms in the ocean and on land - Happy Mother's Day!
1 Comment
 Me in Grand Bend, Ontario * photo by Deb Schwedhelm Photography I love the beach. I love being near water and feeling sand on my toes and enjoying everything about spending a day making sandcastles and jumping in the waves. Our lakes and oceans can be a great way to relax and enjoy the summer break from school or a vacation from work.
We need to keep focused on protecting our lakes, rivers and oceans. If we don't, we'll lose the chance as the water just will be overwhelmed with pollution. My friend, Scott Hammell sent me another great video to watch. I just had to share this video of Pacific White Sided Dolphins. Imagine if the ocean was so murky from pollution that we couldn't see the dolphins? No one wants this. They are beautiful and so playful. I hope you enjoy this video and will be inspired to keep our lakes, rivers and oceans clean. Every little bit helps. All you have to do is try. I hope you'll help me... For our oceans and endangered marine life.  Photo of me taken by Hilary Camilleri, owner of One for the Wall Photography My dear friend, Illusionist and Communicator, Scott Hammell, sent me a great link to a TEDEd video that I just have to share with you!
If you've ever wondered why I am an ocean warrior and why I care so much about saving it from harm, you'll know a lot more about why it is so important to me once you watch this video. Even though people believe there are five oceans (Pacific, India, Atlantic, Southern, Arctic) in reality, they are all connected and make up one BIG body of water that takes up 71 percent of our planet. If you look at our planet from space, what do you see? The ocean. That's why the Earth is called the Blue Planet. The ocean holds 91 percent of Earth's biosphere - that means all the life that lives in the ocean - planet and animals too. There are so many reasons to love our ocean and so many ways we can help protect it. Can you think of something you can do to conserve our ocean? Here are some helpful tips: 1. Try to stop using plastic products as much as possible. If you've heard me speak at an event, you know this is a passion of mine - talking about reducing the use of plastics. Why? Plastics kill thousands of marine animals every year. Carry a reusable water bottle and keep food in a container you can bring home and reuse. 2. Take care of the beach, lake or rivers near you If you see pollution, pick it up and place it in a recycle bin or garbage container. 3. Don't buy things that cause harm or kill marine life Don't buy shark products or eat shark fin soup. Shark fining has caused the death of millions of sharks every year. Don't buy hair accessories made from turtle shells. 4. Support organizations that work to save the ocean I'm an ambassador for AfriOceans Conservation Alliance and I know they do amazing work to help raise awareness and educate children to influence change and help save our ocean. There are other organizations like Oceana and National Geographic and lots more that do wonderful work. Please help support their efforts. 5. Learn about the ocean There are so many great websites to help you learn about our planet and the ocean. There are great videos and ways to stay connected to the ocean and the animals that live in it. Stay educated and share what you learn; it is a great way to inspire others! You have the power to save our ocean and save our planet. How will you use your power today? While I was waiting for a reply from Prime Minister Harper, I talked to my mom about what more I could do to save sharks. I need to help them and I like to sketch. My sister, Sammy and I started drawing sharks. My mom did too. Then we looked at Lesley Rochat's amazing photos on her website and Facebook page. She has lots of really cool photos of sharks! I love Lemon Sharks. They are so beautiful with their yellow colour. We looked at all of our sketches and decided to make a 2013 Save the Sharks Calendar. I'm so excited to share it with you! We are asking $20.00 per calendar and all the proceeds go to AfriOceans Conservation Alliance at www.aoca.org.za. They gave me the okay to use some of Lesley's shark photos. So cool! Writing emails and making a homemade calendar is a small way I can help. You can help by:
Order your calendar here or email me. Thanks!Here is a sneak peak at the 2013 Save the Sharks Calendar Let's stop the slaughter. This morning, with my parent's help, I sent my first real email. I wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. I am so upset about the City of Toronto's decision to overturn the ban on eating shark fins and shark fin products. I have to do everything I can to stop the cruel slaughter of these fantastic fish.
If you are reading this blog, I really hope that you help me be a voice for change. We can't keep killing sharks. Too many are dying. It isn't right. We can stop it. Please believe we can make a difference. Dear Prime Minister Harper, Imagine if you were a shark. Your kind has been on our planet for over 400 million years. You date back before the time of dinosaurs. In the last few years, you can't understand what is happening to all of your friends and family. They are being killed for their fins and then thrown back in the ocean to die. It is cruel and painful and you are so sad watching it happen. You are afraid for your life, every single day. My name is Maddie. I am a 9 year old girl from Waterloo, Ontario who is in grade 4 at The Kitchener-Waterloo Bilingual School. I am passionate about saving our sharks and oceans. With every breath with take, with every drop of water we drink, we are connected to the oceans. Sharks are a key part of the oceans. They are the top of the food chain and we kill over 70 millions sharks every year in the most cruel ways. Sharks are amazing, powerful and majestic fish. No creature has more or less right to be alive. At a federal level, please make the eating of shark fins illegal in Canada, the country I am so proud to call my home. Keeping our oceans balanced will help them stay healthy and help our fisheries for generations to come. I am very upset and crying about the City of Toronto's decision to overturn the eating of shark fins and shark fin products. Please, please help me stop the slaughter of these amazing fish. We need them to stay alive for the health of our planet. Here is a link to the article in The Globe and Mail. Thank you for spending the time to read my email. It would mean to much to me if you answered my email and helped me with my call to action. I would like you to know that I blog about our oceans at www.coolclicksplanet.com where I write about ways to save our planet. I am the first International Ambassador for AfriOceans Conservation Alliance at www.aoca.org.za I put my faith in you, Maddie Cranston, Ocean Warrior It is really early here in Canada and I can't sleep because I am so excited about the AfriOceans Warrior Final Challenge of 2012. I hope all the Ocean Warriors are having so much fun today in Cape Town, South Africa. I really wish I could be there with all the warriors, but I live really far away from South Africa. To help me feel closer to all the AfriOceans Warriors, my parents helped me make this video message. I am so proud to be an AfriOceans Warrior! Go tribes, go!  You are unstoppable! Have fun, AfriOceans Warriors! Hello AfriOceans Warriors! Today is December 1 and the big day of your Warriors Challenge. I am so excited for all of you and I send along my warmest greetings from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada!
I wonder which tribe will win the challenge and become the ultimate AfriOceans Warrior? All of you are winners to me because you are warriors to help save our oceans, our sharks and endangered marine life. Even though I am far away, I am right there with you today. Why? Because with every breath we take, with every drop of water we drink, we're connected...by our oceans. Working together as a team will help you today. You will make it across the Els River today. You have what it takes inside you to make a difference! Believe that you can make a difference and cause a ripple effect that creates a current of change. You are strong. You are warriors. You are unstoppable! Be the voice for our oceans and our sharks! Have fun today. Go AfriOceans Warriors, Go!  Desire2Learn Mobilize Conference Nov 26 Wow. I can't believe it. It seems like so long ago when Mr. Shawn McEwen asked me if I would like to speak at Desire2Learn's Mobilize Thought Leader Conference at Bingeman Park on November 26. It is tomorrow! Crazy! I am sooo excited to get to share my message about saving our sharks and our oceans. Even more cool is that I get to talk about technology and social media. I love technology. It has done so much for me. Because of social media, I can blog and I get to read nice comments from people who read my blog. It encourages me and pushes me forward to keep sharing my message. I also use Twitter. My 'handle' is @sharkwarriorjr. I like to tweet about guess what? You know it -- saving our oceans and our endangered sharks. Yup, its true. I like to use technology and I research on the Internet A LOT. I follow my heroes at AfriOceans Conservation Alliance - Lesley Rochat (Founder and THE Shark Warrior) and Terry Corr (Head of Education). I also watch amazing videos about the oceans, sharks and all kinds of marine life. Oh, back to tomorrow's conference. I'm stoked to listen to all the other presenters. The agenda looks really awesome! Check it out at D2L's Mobilize Conference. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get to talk to the other presenters and lots of the attendees. I'm really hoping to meet Jian Ghomeshi, the host of Q on CBC Radio. My parents are fans of Q and I am too. I couldn't believe that Jian interviewed Van Morrison and Goyte. Jian and I have a few things in common including the fact that we both LOVE to eat Pistachios. Jian is the closing keynote speaker at the Mobilize Conference tomorrow. Who says you can't be excited for Monday to arrive. With D2L's conference tomorrow....I can't wait!! One more sleep to go!!!
 Hello everyone! I'm so excited to share with you through my blog. With my parents help, I just recorded a YouTube message for my fellow AfriOceans Warriors. On December 1 in Cape Town, South Africa, 17 tribes of children will compete in the Warrior Challenge.
This is part of the educational work that AfriOceans Conservation Alliance does. My friend and the Head of Education, Terry Corr, helps children learn about saving our oceans and marine life (especially sharks). I am sooooo excited to be an ambassador for them. I can share my video on December 1, after the Warriors see it to start their challenge. I also changed schools this week. I'm back in a school where my message is supported and my work to save our oceans is encouraged. I will have a chance to talk to my class about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle and how we can save our planet from the harm we do. We pollute and over fish and we kill sharks. The more we know about the mistakes that are made, the more children can help make a difference. We can all learn, grow and make changes for the good of our planet. If we believe, we can all make a difference. Will you join me? Will you try? Please, our oceans and our endangered sharks need your help. Thank you.  Imagine the world without sharks. This blog is to thank people who have been so amazing to me. People who believe in me and are helping me share my message.
First, I would like to thank Lesley Rochat and Terry Corr. What a surprise! When I got home from our trip to NYC, I was so happy to see a package for me from my hero, Lesley Rochat, Shark Warrior. Terry Corr, Head of Education for AfriOceans Conservation Alliance and Lesley asked me to be an ambassador for AOCA. They mailed me t-shirts, a cap, badge and membership card for AfriOceans. I wore my cap, t-shirt and badge to school the very next day. It really helped to get more of my friends interested in learning more about sharks. I'm working on a poster for my class about interesting facts about Bull Sharks right now. Even though we live so far apart, I feel very connected to Lesley and Terry and AfriOceans. They are amazing people and make me feel like I can make a difference. I am excited to share my message about saving our sharks and our oceans. I would like to thank 570 News and the people who nominated me as a good samaritan for our community. This week I am the 570 News Good Samaritan. Every day on the news more people are learning about why we need to save our sharks. I am so thankful to 570 News for this honour. I would like to thank Charity Republic and Popy Dimoulas-Graham for all of her encouragement and asking me to present at Ignite Charity. Thanks to Jim Moss for making me smile with The Smile Epidemic. It is awesome to make new friends! I was honoured to meet MP Peter Braid at Ignite Charity. Thanks for sending me a card with our photo and for your tweet. Peter works so hard for our community. Many thanks to Melissa Y, The Bourbon Baker for her blog post about my Ignite Charity speech. It was a great reminder about how we can all change the world if we just believe and try. Please try. Together we can stop shark finning, overfishing and polluting our oceans. |
Maddie Cranston,
--Ocean Warrior "We never know the worth of water till the well is dry." ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732 Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
