We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cash Daniels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cash below.
Cash, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
I started conservation work at the age of 7, often being the youngest person in the room at many symposiums and conferences focused on a much older audience with degrees and higher learning. Now at 16, I am still frequently the youngest in room but I have learned that’s not always a bad thing. The younger generation needs a face and a voice and if I can be the one that bridges that gap, so be it. I want the youth to know their voice and opinions matter and are important.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have always been fascinated by marine life. At age 7, I went on a family vacation when I found straws and other trash on the beach. That same day I seen a sea turtle and manta ray from the pier. I knew that the same trash I had just seen could negatively impact those beautiful sea creatures. Leaving the beach and returning home to a landlocked state was an odd feeling of hopelessness. How could I do anything from Tennessee? Then, I learned about how polluted and compromised our freshwater ecosystems are. I knew then, I could do something. I have often heard others say “Someone should fix this”, I realized I was someone! I refused to sit back and complain, but took action instead.
We cannot live and flourish without freshwater. We cannot live without healthy freshwater, PERIOD. Every living being is directly affected by our rivers and oceans. The ocean provides the planet with over 70% of the oxygen we desperately rely on for life as we know it. The ocean is also a huge carbon sink. The rate climate change is going, we can no longer ignore the importance of water on the globe. Less than three percent of all water on Earth is freshwater and two percent of that is locked underground or in ice caps. Freshwater is vital to all life and it can no longer be taken for granted as an unlimited resource.
Starting my work at a young age, I was given the nickname, ‘The Conservation Kid”. Once returning home, I learned the Tennessee River was, at the time, the most polluted river in the world with microplastics. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, measuring 5 millimeters or less. I began cleanups and have now removed over 48,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River. I kept seeing fishing line and injured animals on my cleanups so I came up with a plan to also change this and improve wildlife environments also.
I work with the Tennessee State Parks to place fishing line bins along our waterways to reduce and prevent wildlife entanglement as there are more than 300,000 birds entangled in fishing line annually. Improperly discarded fishing gear is the number one killer of sea turtles yearly. To address this, I have placed over 100 fishing line bins in 27 state parks and other boat ramps across Tennessee. This project is now in 6states & I also receive fishing line from as far away as Hawaii! This collected fishing line is melted down and made into fish habitats. Now something that could potentially harm our freshwater ecosystems and wildlife, is now giving back to improve it. To date, I have recycled over 8,000 miles of fishing line.
I also wrote a childrens’ book to educate and inspire kids to create change in their own way. After visiting my local library and not seeing any books about our rivers, I knew I needed to do this. I have now been able to speak to over 20,000 youth about our waterways, and freshwater ecosystems.
I also founded, Wild Earth Defenders, a 501(c)3 nonprofit to be able to create more impactful change and reach a broader audience. With the help of grants and funding, we have been able to place 160+ bins in 5 states and growing!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One skill I learned very early on was public speaking. I know many people fear speaking to a crowd but to me it’s second nature and this is something I am grateful for. I did my very first news interview when I was 7 and have now spoken to crowd as large as 6,000. Sharing your voice and passion should be easy if it’s something you truly love and care about. It’s not scary. Advice I would give is, it’s ok to fail and try again. When I first designed my monofilament bins, its was trial and error but I knew it was a project that was needed. I built them a few different ways to see what was best and always took constructive criticism well and tried again.
Areas of knowledge is such a broad scope so focus on what makes you happy and gives you purpose. My projects started one way and evolved into deeper more specific things as time went on so I feel like adaptability is a huge lesson we must all learn. When we can learn and change, we can do so many more things once our mind is open.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents ever did was simply believe in me. My mom had traveled with me all around the USA to conferences and summits, cleanups to bin placement. My parents have given up so much for myself and my brother. My mom could have chosen to work full time and tell me to pursue this passion after high school but she didn’t. She believed and allowed me to follow this passion and see what it turned into. My dad does work full time and unfortunately can’t travel with me most places so he sacrifices his days to work while we hop from conference to conference and spend time away from him.
I can honestly say I have the coolest parents who have never tried to extinguish the passion inside me for a better planet and a better future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.WildEarthDefenders.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theconservationkid
