Newport resident, 12, sets his sights on keeping oceans clean — one bucket at a time

NEWPORT — A 12-year-old city resident who is passionate about the environment and environmental science is doing his part to save the world’s oceans. And he’s starting right here. Recently, Atlas Hammoud established the “Fill A Bag” station at King Park in Newport. The station has three buckets in which both residents and visitors can grab and fill with plastic trash as they spend time at the beach. There’s a recycling bin next to the station where beach-goers can place the items they pick up. Atlas Hammoud, 12, stands with Eric Reis and Louis Iannotti of Newport’s Parks and Recreation Department at the Fill A Bag station in King Park, created by Hammoud. He said he was inspired to launch the program in Rhode Island after he came back from a trip to Key Biscayne, Florida, where a man named Manny Rionda had a similar setup. “I was in Florida at the beach where they had a station setup, and I was like, ‘Why not bring it to Newport?’ because I’ve seen that there had been some plastic in areas,” he said. The station, he said, is a way to engage the Newport community in keeping beaches and parks free from plastic litter. “The idea is pretty simple,” Hammoud explained. “So when you’re on a stroll, or having a picnic, or walking a dog, you take a bucket and you fill it up with plastic waste and you put it in a recycling bin that is right next to the station. More:These are the best beaches in Newport County, Rhode Island “And there’s also a QR code that is on the station that is linked to a website where you can either log community service hours, or learn more about it.” When he came back from Florida, Hammoud contacted Erik Reis and Louis Iannotti, who work in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The two assisted Hammoud with his initiative. “They were the ones who decided whether or not my idea was allowed to be put into place, and they thought it was a cool idea,” Hammoud said. Once the idea was approved, Hammoud said Reis and Iannotti assisted him in installing the station. When he got the approval, Hammoud said he was, “super excited and happy.” He hopes his work will inspire others to do what he is doing and to hopefully change the amount of plastic pollution. The Fill A Bag station, created by Newport resident Atlas Hammoud, is located at King Park. The station was installed July 23 at King Park, and though he doesn’t have a way yet to track the station’s effectiveness, Hammoud said there have been little plastic remnants in the buckets, so he knows people have been using it. Each year, 17.6 billion pounds of plastic are dumped into oceans worldwide, he said. “It makes me really sad to know that billions and billions of pounds of plastic are put into the ocean each year,” he said. Hammoud said his favorite animals are sea turtles and dolphins. When he came back from Florida, Hammoud contacted Erik Reis and Louis Iannotti, who work in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The two assisted Hammoud with his initiative. “They were the ones who decided whether or not my idea was allowed to be put into place, and they thought it was a cool idea,” Hammoud said. Once the idea was approved, Hammoud said Reis and Iannotti assisted him in installing the station. When he got the approval, Hammoud said he was, “super excited and happy.” He hopes his work will inspire others to do what he is doing and to hopefully change the amount of plastic pollution. The Fill A Bag station, created by Newport resident Atlas Hammoud, is located at King Park. The station was installed July 23 at King Park, and though he doesn’t have a way yet to track the station’s effectiveness, Hammoud said there have been little plastic remnants in the buckets, so he knows people have been using it. Each year, 17.6 billion pounds of plastic are dumped into oceans worldwide, he said. “It makes me really sad to know that billions and billions of pounds of plastic are put into the ocean each year,” he said. Hammoud said his favorite animals are sea turtles and dolphins. More:Access to Gooseberry and Hazard’s beaches is being restricted, Newport residents claim Your stories live here. Fuel your hometown passion and plug into the stories that define it. Create Account “Sea turtles are the most affected by plastic because they eat jelly fish and, a lot of the time, plastic that has come into the ocean reminds them of jelly fish, or they think that they’re eating their food, when they’re really eating a piece of plastic that can kill them,” he said. If his station at King Park is successful, Hammoud said he’d like to put more stations up in Newport County, and throughout Rhode Island. For other children his age who want to do their part to change the world, Hammoud advises not to listen to people who tell you it’s probably not going to work. The Fill A Bag station at King Park has a QR code where you can learn more about the initiative. “Follow what you think is successful, and do something to make a difference. And then just reach out,” he said. “Ignore the haters.” When he grows up, Hammoud said he might go into the environmental science field, but then again, he is also interested in becoming a professional athlete. “But that is probably not going to happen,” he said. When he’s not out doing his part to save the world, Hammoud plays basketball, tennis and baseball. Bethany Brunelle can be reached at bbrunelle@newportri.com 907-575-8528 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter, Insta: bethanyfreudenthal, TikTok: thehijabicrimereporter, Muckrack: https://muckrack.com/bethany-freudenthal Original Source »