NINA
Nina Christophersen is a working mum of two, living in Ishøj, Denmark, close to the sea – a place she feels one can find peace amid a hectic life. Looking at the issue of ocean pollution from her children’s perspective was a great eye-opener for Nina, and she has thus dedicated a lot of her time to beach cleaning and litter picking.
“One day, three years ago, my son came home from kindergarten very upset. He had been told a story about a sea turtle being trapped in plastic in the ocean. The story made a huge impression on him, and he insisted on going down to the beach to collect trash.”
Changing mindsets
The biggest challenge from Nina’s perspective is changing the mindset of every single person on this planet. She feels that, although we can and should of course call out what’s wrong when we see it within big corporation pollution and lack of political action to protect our planet, we should also remember that we have a crucial role to play.
“Business and politics are driven by our needs – people’s needs – so if we want change, we have to start with ourselves and we need to stop thinking that what we do as individuals doesn’t matter or has no impact. Because it does.”
No big or small heroes – just heroes!
As Nina told us in her interview, in Cornwall, England there is a man called Andrew Frost, who she follows on Instagram @turnthetidecornwall. She tells us that Andrew has dedicated his life to beach cleaning ups and educating others. “It is people like him that inspires me – individuals that act and educate and do what they can within their means.”
Another big hero of hers is Sir David Attenborough, as she is inspired by his passion and love for our planet. “With people like that in the world, there is hope.”
Saving the great deep ocean
Nina is thankful to the ocean for lifting her up when she is feeling down, and to her, #Tavaha means love and appreciation for life – all life.
“The sound of the waves, whether wild or mild is the best sound in the whole world!”
Her three #tavahatips for taking care of the ocean are:
Don’t litter - use the bin
If safe – pick up litter you find
Support green initiatives where you can (less plastic, etc.)