Olivia Mandle, the young activist who protects marine animals

On June 8, coinciding with World Oceans Day, an event took place at Aticco a TEDxEixample talk featuring the young environmental activist Olivia Mandle. At just 15 years old, Olivia has devised atool to clean microplastics from the ocean and has launched various citizen-led initiatives to protect dolphins in Spain.

The Protection of Dolphins by Olivia Mandle

In 2020, driven by a desire to protect marine animals, Olivia launched a campaign on Change.org calling on the Barcelona City Council to relocate the three dolphins held in captivity at the Barcelona Zoo to a marine sanctuary. During the talk organized by TEDxEixample, Olivia explained that dolphins have highly sensitive hearing; that is why they suffer a great deal of stress in aquariums and zoos. Although her campaign gathered 56,000 signatures, it did not achieve the desired results. The dolphins were transferred to another dolphinarium rather than to a sanctuary, as the initiative had requested.

Far from giving up, he launched a second, more ambitious campaign. As Mandle explained during his talk at Aticco:

““I never lose motivation; I know there are many people around me who are also interested in the same causes.”

In this second campaign, which has already gathered more than 116,000 signatures, the young activist is calling on the Spanish government to enact a law establishing a phased ban on dolphinariums in Spain. 

Dolphinariums are a multimillion-euro business in Spain, but for Olivia, the ecological transition that the Spanish government aims to carry out will not be complete as long as these facilities are allowed to exist: “Spain wants to be a leader in ecological transition and is taking steps toward sustainability, but it cannot be one if it continues to allow these captivity facilities,” added the speaker.

The Problem of Microplastics and the Jelly Cleaner as a Small-Scale Solution

In 2019, when she was very concerned about plastic pollution in the oceans, she designed a tool to remove microplastics from the sea. The so-called Jelly Cleaner, which looks like a jellyfish, filters this debris from the sea’s surface. Using old ballet tights and water bottles, she designed this tool, which can be made at home using recycled materials. 

In addition, Olivia is determined to inspire other people and children to support a more sustainable world. That's why she posted a video on her YouTube channel explaining how to make the Jelly Cleaner and how to use it.

Sustainability Education

Following her presentation, the activist answered questions from the audience and the media in attendance, including El Bien Social. She discussed with them how we can make this world a more sustainable place. For Olivia, the solution undoubtedly lies in education. For this reason, she highlighted the work being done at her school, where all students are being educated on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN.

In this regard, Olivia argued that:

“My classmates are aware of this because at school we’ve been taught the importance of sustainability since we were little.

“The SDGs are displayed in the hallways of our high school, and we work on projects where we have to apply the SDGs. That way, we’re becoming more aware and learning a lot more. Now, when I tell them what I’m doing, we have a conversation and it sparks some reflection,” Olivia added. 

You can learn more about their initiative #NotJustForDolphins at change.org