Hi there! My name is Nisha Singhi and I am a student at the International Academy in Michigan. I have always been passionate about helping the environment and started working on this issue about 2 years ago. Much like others, I didn’t even know balloon releases were a problem until I read that they were extremely threatening to the environment. After tons of help and guidance from Lara O’Brien (M.S. ’20 University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and founder of the Balloon Debris Survey) and María Dabrowski (M.S. ’21 University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and founder of @GoGreenForTheOcean), I learned more about the issue and started to take action.
I have presented in front of my school student body, administration, city council, state legislators, environmental organizations, and companies.
I have organized beach cleanups to help beautify our environment and spread awareness in a fun, engaging way.
I have reached out to state legislators, who have introduced HB 5373 and SB 0675 in the Michigan legislature. I have also testified at the Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in support of HB 5373.