NICOLINA’S TURTLE CO. HELPS LECLAIRE LIBRARY ‘SKIP THE PLASTIC’
On Wednesday, June 5 th , at 5:00 pm, families are invited to get a head start on the 2024
Summer Reading Program with a program that promises eco-friendly fun for all ages! Illinois
teen Nicolina of Nicolina’s Turtle Co. will be hosting a Skip the Plastic event at LeClaire
Community Library, featuring both a presentation and activities.
Nicolina started Nicolina’s Turtle Co. at age 8 after learning the impact of plastic pollution on
turtles and other marine life: plastic utensils take hundreds of years to break down,
contaminating the environment and harming wildlife in the meantime. She started out sewing
metal straw holders (and providing metal straws to fill them!) but has expanded into
conservation education in schools and communities to help reduce plastic use. Her Skip the
Plastic campaign encourages restaurants and eateries not to provide plastic cutlery unless
requested by the customer. This small change could save restaurants an average of $5000 a
year as well as reducing plastic waste.
Families of all ages are invited to experience this unique event which promises to be both fun
and informative – a fitting prelude to this year’s environmentally-conscious summer reading
program: Read, Renew, Repeat.
