Hello, my name is Alex. Today I will be talking to you about an agent of change named Stella Bowels. An agent of change is an ordinary person that has made a change in his or her community. She was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia and she saved the infested LaHave river and made it to a clean river when she was only 11 in 2017! How you may ask? She takes the garbage out and recycles it (if possible) if it is not recyclable she will use it to make things or sell them. She did this because unlike others she cared a lot after she learned about straight pipes, had a project on them and even more after she heard that there was one right under her house and about 10 in the river she lives next to.She likes winter sports like hockey she also likes sailing and swimming. Those sports all involve water and there is a river right beside her house, but it is infested with bacteria so she will get sick. She stopped 600 straight pipes from being built and straight pipes will stop being built completely in 2023. She got $15,000,000 to help support the rivers and started to do this nationwide! The Lahave river was polluted with raw sewage or straight pipes. She planted more than 100 seeds as well. She met all the levels of government and met 3 of the leaders for her good deed (Justin Trudeau, Mike Savage, and Stephen McNeil including green party leader Elizabeth May). Straight pipes come straight from toilets and are illegal, but there are still hundreds of straight pipes across Canada and tons in other countries. Some people disagreed but she convinced them to help and yet, 18 Canadians are still helping right now in Wolfville Nova Scotia. The river was infested so bad you could get sick often or a disease and getting sick is horrible. She not only helped herself but her neighbors and others. She got to go to the Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute (E.S.S.Y.I) in New York and she is the only Canadian. The Lahave River was infested with Fecal bacteria (also known as Fecal Coliform, which is a facultatively anaerobic) also poop, germs and other viruses. She said “It was really nice seeing everybody come together around this, saying ‘OK, if this kid is right, we have to do something about it,”. She planted seeds, cleaned up polluted rivers. At school she learns about bacteria and how to drain water from lakes. She won first place in her age group at this year's International Young Eco-Hero Awards. She also made a book called “Cleaning Up The LaHave River” which was published in September 10th, 2017 and you could get it on September 26, 2017. She said she hopes her story can inspire other youth to ask questions and to be proactive in creating environmental changes. She is now 14 and is helping other provinces like Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. She is also showing other kids how to test waterways to see if they are clean or contaminated and it is also for safety in case you need to wear specialized clothing. They also met the “Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation” also known as B.C.A.F. She also goes to other schools and tell them about bacteria and contaminated rivers and lakes. In the future we will most likely be able to swim in it. People in Bridgewater elementary school (B.E.S) helped after Stella told them about her river and what happened to it. She said “Hopefully, my generation will be able to swim in the river, safely”. She is too young to vote yet, she is already making changes. She also said “I hope it can show them that your age shouldn't put a limit on what you can do”. In Montreal, Quebec, the Canadian Wildlife Federation (C.W.F) also honored her another youth conservation medal for her good deed. A lifeguard once smelled oil and he thought that there could have been a spill through the storm drain! I hope you have learned more about Stella Bowels and thank you for listening!…

colours all represent things!!!