SPL LIVING
Kids Saving Oceans
Just home from school and a day after speaking at a business
summit for innovators in Tampa, Miles Fetherston-Resch makes
time before homework to talk to a reporter about responsibility. As
founder and CEO of Kids Saving Oceans, the 7-year-old seems to be
setting a good example. In just one year, he has drawn attention to
stickers, t-shirts and hats available on his website
kidssavingoceans.com. He donates proceeds from the merchandise
Beautiful, Surfrider Foundation, Mission Blue and Shark Allies.
Miles is on an eco-crusade, eager to speak at meetings, events
reporters, on the dangers of not taking responsibility for an ocean
environment that is threatened every minute of every day. With the
help of his mom (who also serves as his driver and manager), Miles
inspired his school - Country Day School in Largo – to change Earth
Day to Earth Week last year and started a petition drive asking the
cafeteria to move away from single-use plastics. They even held a
Waste Challenge in which each grade was challenged to keep track
of how much plastic and other waste they created and come up
with ideas on how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Miles launched Kids Saving Oceans early in 2019 after watching
Shark Week on TV and deciding he wanted to do something to help
marine wildlife. After sharing his idea with his mom, they started
working together on creating a merchandise business that would
52 StPeteLifeMag.com March/April 2020
promote beach conservation and protecting marine life while
raising funds for organizations that espoused the same ideals.
Of course, the products would use recycled materials that are
environmentally sustainable. Miles came up with a colorful sticker
featuring his favorite marine animals, and Kids Saving Oceans was
born.
Take, for instance, choosing not to use a plastic straw, or bringing
your own water bottle, or using a reusable bag instead of a plastic
starts, then others follow, and even more follow them, you really
His passion and business sense helped sway judges to award him
$5,000 last November in Tampa Bay Pitch Night, where Kids Saving
Oceans was up against 27 other startup businesses. Organized
by the City of St. Pete and Greenhouse, Pitch Night, through the
$5,000 each for seed funding. Kids Saving Oceans was one of them.
With his winnings, Miles plans to expand his product line, and
eventually write a book, which will allow him to donate $7,500 to
kit, since “plastic straws can blow into the water and harm the
MILES FETHERSTON-RESCH
/kidssavingoceans.com
/StPeteLifeMag.com