Manny Rionda at TEDx Key Biscayne shares his journey into becoming “one of those weirdos” who picks up trash at the beach and invites us to join a growing community of budding eco-warriors. Discover how beach and neighborhood clean ups provide an impactful and scalable gateway experience for anyone, anywhere, anytime. But be advised, this behavior may be addictive and lead to lifestyle awareness, reflections on your own daily choices, and perhaps even changes in behavior. After graduating from Boston College with a marketing degree, Manny accepted a one-year appointment as a case worker serving at-risk youth in the Boston area. Following that he recognized his calling as an educator. Moving west, he enjoyed 9 wonderful years as a classroom teacher at Buena Vista Elementary School in San Francisco’s Mission District. Drawn back to his childhood home in Key Biscayne in 1998, he shifted into sales and business development roles with publishers in the educational technology field.
Over the past 20+ years, Manny has continued working with school districts, representing several leading organizations such as Rosetta Stone, Turnitin, and Learning.com. Manny is a volunteer and activist in his community, a former PTA board member, baseball coach, paddle board club founder, Friends of Cape Florida board member, and more. In 2018, Manny co-founded FillABag; a non-profit beach-cleaning initiative which works with coastal area communities to bring awareness to the impact of marine debris and plastic pollution on the environment. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at TEDxKey Biscayne https://www.ted.com/tedx
