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In 2014, the city of Flint in Michigan (USA) switched its drinking water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money. Soon after, residents of Flint began to feel sick and reported that the water smelt, looked and tasted bad. But local officials refused to accept it and claimed the water was fine. Lead contamination of the drinking water was soon found to be the cause.
8-year-old Mari could not bear to sit and watch these effects happen to her city and its people without acting. She wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to visit the city and inspect the crisis for himself. President Obama read her letter and decided to come and visit. After his visit, President Obama sent $100 million (around £74 million) of relief to the city. Some of this money was used to buy a million bottles of bottled water so the people of Flint would not have to use the contaminated water.
But Mari soon noticed that residents were not recycling these bottles and that was bad for the environment. Not willing to just be happy with what she had already accomplished, Mari teamed up with Hydroviv to create a water filter that filters out lead and bacteria, making tap water safe. Plastic bottles could be eliminated and people could start to drink tap water safely.
Mari is now raising money to help donate these filters to families who need them all over America. She believes that everyone can use their passions to make a change. Mari says, ‘Use your voice, make your voice be heard, speak on topics that mean the world to you.’
