Tracie Kroenert
Bixby, OK
The Ocean is my battery recharger and I do everything I can, being in a land-locked state, to help make others aware of it and to help protect it. While at home in Oklahoma, I am a teacher and always teach my students about the ocean and how to protect it and keep it clean. Every summer, I try to make a trip to an ocean location each year. When I visit the ocean, it is usually South Padre Island, being as it is pretty close to where I live now and I am a native Texan. When I visit, I try my best to clean up anything ""others"" have left on the beaches and try to make the locals aware of what a precious resource they have. I take my children on these trips and have instilled a love of the ocean in them and encourage them to also ""clean up"" what they see and never to take advantage of our oceans in order to protect our most beautiful natural resource and I am trying to help it to be around for many years to come. Each trip to the ocean, I feel as if I am a part of it...as the old saying goes...salt runs in my veins...I want this feeling to be around for many generations to come!