It's true most of us are somewhat helpless in front of greater forces around us. But there are so many people out there who are making giant strides in keeping our planet safe.

This one woman from the United Kingdom, Pat Smith, who lives in Cornwall, has made huge contributions to tackle it. Pat Smith is a grandmother who is 70-years-old! She watched a documentary on plastic pollution which really unsettled her. So she challenged herself to go out there and clean up one beach every week.

Her fellow townspeople warmly took to the idea and supported her. She took along her grandchildren and eager volunteers and accomplished what she set out to do. The whole team cleared 52 beaches in Cornwall in just one year in 2018. However, this is not all there is to her story, she is still going strong to make our planet a better world to live in.

Plenty of people thought that Pat was cleaning up the beach as a part of community service. She says that all of us must take responsibility for picking up after ourselves. She also adds that we should not litter any place, to begin with!

Smith launched an initiative named The Final Straw. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the harm of generic plastic straws. She hoped to make a significant difference in making the planet get rid of plastic straws. Pat has also partnered with other notable individuals such as Martin Dorey, who founded 2 Minute Beach Clean. In addition to that, she has also joined Wayne Dixon. He walks the shores of the United Kingdom as an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy.

Plastic straws are an example of a destructive use of single-use plastic. They serve practically no purpose other than being a useless piece of plastic. But they are strewn across our oceans and stuffed in our landfills. The wildest part is, all the plastic straws in existence now are going to outlive several generations of humans! On top of that, just using disposable straws about twice a day generates more than 600 straws a year. But Pat Smith has shown us that if we all can come together, if we want to save the planet. WE REALLY CAN! So, what are you planning to do to save our home – this blue planet?