Environmental advocacy, plastic pollution activism, and climate action

My love of horseshoe crabs and tidal ecosystems began as a child on Connecticut's Thimble Islands and continued through visits to Rhode Island’s Napatree Point Conservation Area and Block Island, and the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine.

Ocean identity remains at the core of my ethos. Since settling in Black Rock on the edge of Long Island Sound in 2007, I have increasingly made coastal environmental protection a central theme of my work. In tandem, I have raised awareness about the perils of plastic pollution and conducted regular, independent beach cleanups at nearby Seaside Park.

In 2022, I founded Soundly Caring, a horseshoe crab rescue and plastic pollution education initiative, and began formally documenting each spawning season. I trained as a Project Limulus Citizen Scientist, tagging horseshoe crabs and sharing data with marine biologists at Sacred Heart University, and served as the Project Limulus Seaside Park Beach Captain and Save the Sound’s Cleanup Captain from 2023 to 2025.

Because of my actions and the collaborative efforts of other caring environmentalists and members of the media, Seaside Park has implemented additional protections and educated its staff and the public about the importance of this keystone species, which is vital to biodiversity.

Raising awareness about horseshoe crab protections at Seaside Park showed me that one person can make a difference. But when that person is a citizen scientist or volunteer rather than a paid employee of the government or an official institution, opportunities are limited, and collaboration is often blocked or an afterthought. This has inspired me to move in a new direction, focusing on both broader commercial work and more personal environmental projects to fully leverage my skills and experience.

My connection to the ocean also takes shape through my art practice at kHyaland, with ongoing special projects like "Toy Ocean: Out to See," and my professional work in sustainability.

Related endeavors:

• Difference Maker, The Carbon Almanac Network

• Lead Writer / Researcher, Sustainable Fashion Online Resource Guide

• Project Limulus, Citizen Scientist and Seaside Park Beach Captain

• NYC Department of Sanitation, Sanitation Foundation, Trash Academy certified

• Grassroots Activist, Beyond Plastics

• Certified Climate Reality Leader, Climate Reality Leadership Corps

• Member and Cleanup Captain, Save the Sound

• Member and Speaker: Women and Climate

• Member: Ash Creek Conservation Association, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Climate Reality Project, Sierra Club, Sustainable Connecticut, Creatives For Climate, Clean Creatives, Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition

• Creator of the world’s only pink weather-loving squirrel and climate action superhero, The Weather sKwirl™

• Founder of the world’s only Plastic Horse Rescue

• Teaching, talks and residencies