Access to TV and internet isn鈥檛 all bad for kids, proved the young 9-year-old from Decker Lake Elementary, when he saw a YouTube video that inspired him to take up fundraising to clean the oceans.

Kieran McDonald was watching a YouTube video that instantly had him researching about ocean trash. He then decided to fundraise to help clean the oceans, said his mother Lyssa McDonald.

鈥淚t was really cool; it was all his own thing that he picked up himself from something he saw on YouTube. He just came to me and said 鈥業 really want to clean up the ocean鈥�, did a bunch of research, went and talked to the principal, and figured out a way to raise the money,鈥� she said.

The crowd-funding campaign, saw Kieran make up a poster, come up with a small write-up to inspire change, and encouraged his school to contribute to the #TeamSeas campaign.

鈥淲hen you think of the ocean, do you think of all the trash?鈥� asked the young, curious Kieran, because he does think of trash when he thinks of oceans, lakes and rivers.

鈥淏ecause I really like swimming and there is so much trash and lakes and seas!鈥�

#TeamSeas is a global campaign which was started back in October last year, to raise $30M to remove 30M pounds of plastic and trash from our ocean, rivers and beaches. So far, the campaign claims to have managed to clean 32,628,726 pounds of trash.

With Kieran spearheading the efforts locally, the school managed to raise roughly $160. Kieran then went to the local RCMP detachment, where his father works, and canvassed for funds. In total, he raised almost double the funds, enough to clean 240 pounds of trash out of the ocean.

鈥淚 feel pretty good,鈥� he said.

In a school newsletter, Decker Lake acknowledged Kieran鈥檚 efforts and said, 鈥淭his organized, caring, and enterprising young man is spearheading a worthy school-wide fundraiser, #TeamSeas. Every dollar raised is used to remove 2.2 kg. trash from the ocean.鈥�

In the past too, Kieran has been involved in a lot of volunteering with Lakes Animal Friendship, and has volunteered with the food centre but this was his first time taking on any fundraising efforts.

鈥淗e just wanted to get the word out there, and to hopefully inspire someone else to enact the change they want to see in the world,鈥� said Lyssa.

Kieran plans to next work on the #TeamTrees campaign from the same group, to help plans trees.

鈥淚 am thinking of that because there are so many trees getting cut down and soon there might not be enough trees,鈥� he said.