An eight-year-old boy from London has launched his #SaveThePollinators campaign to mark the two-year anniversary of Leo’s Animal Planet, his YouTube channel calling to save our planet.
Leo Sordello-Sarvale, 8, started this project in lockdown as he felt that something needed to be done to help the environment.
He’s launched this campaign to celebrate the two-year anniversary of his channel, creating leaflets and around 200 seed balls, which are packed with pollinator-loving plants.
“Everybody said yes to them!” Leo said describing handing these out to the general public in Shoreditch, Whitechapel and south east London, where they were so popular he managed to give them all away.
Responding to the question of how he deals with any pressure he meets making videos Leo said: “I just try and do the best I can and I’m proud of what I’ve done so far.”
This campaign has been timed well with the London Wildlife Trust’s launching of their own save-the-bees campaign which looks to re-wild areas around London, funded by the National Lottery.
The carefully curated videos have amassed around 30 thousand views, platformed endangered animals and famous conservationists, and are watched by people all over the world from Swiss school children to Brits in care-homes.
Speaking about the lockdown period he said: “I felt like something needed to be done about the planet, I wanted to help people know about my message and entertain them as well.”
Leo even received a response from conservationist and TV legend David Attenborough, saying: “I wasn’t sure he would ever reply and when he did it was surprised, it was very cool.”
Leo started his campaigns when he was in year three at school, where he raised around £1,000 with Gift Aid for the Namibia Cheetah Conservation, making badges with his classmate and organising a race at school.
The animated TV series Wild Kratts sparked Leo’s interest in the environment, which features the stories of two real-life conservationists Chris and Martin Kratt.
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