At Galileo, campers explore ways to be visionary: to envision a better world, imagine things that don’t yet exist, and learn the skills needed to turn their ideas into reality. Justin, a Camp Galileo visionary from Los Angeles, has taken his love of frogs and concern for their future to envision a better world and make impactful change in the community around him.

Camper Spotlight: Justin from Save the Frogs Project At the age of 8, Justin is already a frog expert. “There are over 4,000 different types of frogs that live around the world, and scientists are shocked that so many frogs are dying,” he told us. Pollution and the use of pesticides negatively impact the health of amphibians’ environments, and Justin feels strongly that awareness needs to be raised to find solutions to the problem. Out of his passion and confidence to create change, Justin’s Save The Frogs project was born. His mission is “to teach kids and parents ways to take action and make our world healthier for the frogs and future generations.”

Justin’s project may have started small, but with plenty of determination and perseverance, it has evolved to make a real impact and connect him with scientists he admires. “I started selling little toy frogs for a dollar to raise awareness,” he said. “Then, I started presenting my project to my classmates, to my community, and I even met with conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall.” His initial goal of fundraising $200 to build wetlands in California has grown to a $2,500 achievement so far—and he’s not done yet. Justin has been recognized by local conservation organizations for his efforts to “re-frog America” by selling his frog toys and helping build wetlands for threatened species like the California red-legged frogs and foothill yellow-legged frogs.

If you’re inspired to give back and make change, Justin has some suggestions for how you and your family can help:

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and never litter
  • Use less plastic
  • Learn about pesticides and their impact on our environment
  • Check out Justin’s Go PLAE Shoes—For every purchase, PLAE will donate 10% of the purchase value to Save the Frogs
  • Learn about frogs—or your own favorite creatures—at a local zoo, wildlife preserve, museum or aquarium (Justin’s personal recommendation is the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA)
  • Come up with your own idea and change the world! Justin was inspired by the book What Do You Do With an Idea?, and he hopes you will be, too

To hear Justin’s story and more about his project from the frog expert himself, check out this YouTube video and visit his donation and project page, For the Love of Frogs.

Want to learn more about how Justin is changing the world?

Listen to this radio show to learn about Justin’s partnership with Perise in Cameroon to recycle thousands of plastic bottles.