MIAMI – Local 10′s quest to find this year’s Eco Hero continues this week, as we introduce you each day to one of our top five finalists.
One high school student with a passion for our planet will win a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to Australia and will be the subject of a primetime special here on Local 10.
When his family moved to South Florida a few years ago, Andrei Steyn discovered a new hobby: scuba diving.
His first dive to a coral reef was life changing as he saw firsthand the effects of record high water temperatures and climate change.
“I had this moment that was really peaceful and serene, but also sort of startling,” said Steyn. “I went home and started researching coral bleaching and acidification, and I realized I wanted to share this with other students and my community.”
That is how Students for Coral Preservation was born, with Steyn as the organization’s founder and president.
Created to raise awareness and protect precious coral, the group has grown to more than 60 members from six schools and universities.
“We host events to advocate for what we believe in, amplify youth voices,” Steyn said. “We also ring in speakers to talk to our kids about the current state of coral in South Florida.”
At Miami Day Country School, Steyn and his team care for young coral fragments. The plan, once the corals mature, is to out-plant them into the ocean.
The coral lab is housed in the school’s environmental center, a place where students get invaluable hands-on experience with wildlife.
Outside the classroom, the SCP Club has participated in dive clean-ups, allowing kids to experience the effects of climate change in a very real way.
And because advocacy is an important focus of Steyn’s organization, students have taken their environmental message right to the Miami-Dade County Commission.
“We asked to increase the amount of money for coral preservation, especially in light of the PortMiami dredging, and we advocate for more awareness,” he said.
It’s an awareness Steyn wants to continue to spread, and says an Eco Hero trip to Australia would bring his coral preservation mission to the next level.
“Going to Australia would be amazing,” he said. “It is any coral-lovers’ dream to see the Great Barrier Reef, but for my organization and community, I think I would be able to bring a new inspiration, a new light, to what we do. And seeing a new example of climate change would bring new inspiration.”