她開始時拯救動物，現(xiàn)在她的目標是拯救海洋

她開始時拯救動物，現(xiàn)在她的目標是拯救海洋

Mimi Ausland has big plans for the planet. The 23-year-old is perhaps best known as the founder of Freekibble, an interactive quiz website that encourages users to answer animal trivia questions to fuel donations of pet food to shelters across the U.S.

米米·奧斯蘭對地球有宏偉的計劃?，F(xiàn)年23歲的她最有名的名字可能是Freekibble的創(chuàng)始人。Freekibble是一個互動問答網(wǎng)站，鼓勵用戶回答動物的一些瑣碎問題，為美國各地的動物收容所捐贈寵物食品提供動力。

The founder of Freekibble now has her sights set on plastic pollution removal in the ocean. (Photo: Mimi Ausland)

"Looking back on it, I believe the experience showed me that people want to make a difference and that small actions can create big impact," Ausland tells MNN. "Freekibble not only grew my interest in giving back but also in business — specifically in finding ways to combine impact with business. It gave me the belief that if you care about something enough, you can make a difference."

奧斯蘭告訴MNN:“回顧過去，我相信這次經(jīng)歷告訴我，人們想要有所作為，小小的行動就能產生巨大的影響。”“免費食品不僅增加了我回饋社會的興趣，也增加了我對商業(yè)的興趣——尤其是找到將影響力與商業(yè)結合起來的方法。它讓我相信，如果你足夠關心某件事，你就能做出改變。”

Freekibble is now eleven years old, and is estimated to have donated nearly $14 million in food and funding to homeless dogs and cats at shelters, rescues and food banks across the country. The website has expanded to include cat litter donations, vaccinations and monthly causes highlighting different animals in need and the people who support them.

Freekibble現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有11年的歷史，據(jù)估計它已經(jīng)向全國各地的收容所、救援機構和食品銀行的流浪貓狗捐贈了近1400萬美元的食物和資金。該網(wǎng)站已擴大到包括貓砂捐贈、疫苗接種和每月重點關注不同需要的動物和支持它們的人的活動。

Once honored as the 2008 ASPCA Kid of the Year, Ausland isn't a kid anymore, but she's still an activist. Her next big move (literally) is the ocean — specifically, plastic pollution. Her new website, Free the Ocean (FTO), is similar to Freekibble in that it's a quiz website that "rewards" you (whether you're right or wrong) when you answer the daily trivia question.

奧斯蘭曾被評為2008年美國防止虐待動物協(xié)會(ASPCA)年度兒童，現(xiàn)在她已經(jīng)不再是一個孩子了，但她仍然是一名積極分子。她的下一個大動作(字面意思)是海洋——特別是塑料污染。她的新網(wǎng)站Free the Ocean (FTO)類似于Freekibble，它是一個問答網(wǎng)站，當你回答日常瑣事問題時，它會“獎勵”你(無論你是對的還是錯的)。

Trash and debris litter Accra beach in Ghana. (Photo: Muntaka Chasant [SS by SA 4.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

"My inspiration behind FTO was to create a way for people around the world to have a free and fast impact on the very serious issue of plastic pollution," Ausland says. "By combining trivia with impact, you're giving people an educational and (hopefully!) fun way to have a tangible impact."

奧斯蘭德說:“我創(chuàng)辦FTO的靈感來自為世界各地的人們創(chuàng)造一種方式，讓他們能夠免費、快速地對塑料污染這一非常嚴重的問題產生影響。”“通過把瑣事和影響力結合起來，你給人們提供了一種有教育意義的(希望如此!)有趣的方式，讓他們產生切實的影響。”

How exactly does it work? 100 percent of the ad revenue generated on the website goes toward removing plastic. Those funds go directly to their cause partner, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii. The nonprofit organizes beach clean-ups and coastal stewardship through social media and a hard-working grassroots team of volunteers. "They're an amazing organization hard at work protecting treasured coastlines by removing plastic and educating the next generation on how to create a world without waste," says Ausland.

它到底是如何工作的?在該網(wǎng)站上產生的廣告收入100%用于去除塑料。這些資金直接流向他們的事業(yè)伙伴，夏威夷的可持續(xù)海岸線。這個非營利組織通過社交媒體和一個努力工作的基層志愿者團隊來組織海灘清理和海岸管理工作。奧斯蘭說:“他們是一個了不起的組織，通過移除塑料，教育下一代如何創(chuàng)造一個沒有垃圾的世界，努力保護寶貴的海岸線。”

Ausland with the CEO of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Rafael Bergstrom. (Photo: Mimi Ausland)

It's predicted that 18 billions of trash enter the ocean every year. National Geographic estimates that there are about 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and counting. Most of these items will never biodegrade, leading to the creation of massive "trash islands," with the most famous being the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

據(jù)預測，每年有180億垃圾進入海洋。據(jù)《國家地理》估計，海洋中大約有5.25萬億塑料碎片，而且還在不斷增加。這些垃圾中的大多數(shù)永遠不會被生物降解，導致了巨大的“垃圾島”的產生，其中最著名的是太平洋垃圾帶。

Living in Santa Monica, California, it makes sense that this cause is close to Ausland's heart. She adds, "I also want FTO to create awareness of the plastic issue and inspire day-to-day behavioral changes — which is really the most important part of real change. My hope is for FTO to be a bright spot in people's day and leave them with a feeling that they've made a difference, because they have."

住在加州圣莫尼卡，這一事業(yè)與奧斯蘭的心是相通的。她補充道:“我還希望FTO能引起人們對塑料問題的關注，并激發(fā)人們每天的行為變化——這才是真正改變的最重要部分。”我希望FTO成為人們生活中的一個亮點，讓他們感到他們已經(jīng)做出了改變，因為他們已經(jīng)做出了改變。”