Founder of Green Gasparilla
 
Demetri Sedita, a youth environmental activist from Tampa, Florida, is making significant strides in combating plastic pollution. In 2016, he founded Green Gasparilla, an environmental protection initiative targeting the plastic waste from the annual Gasparilla Flotilla parade. Demetri aims to raise awareness about the harmful impact of Gasparilla beads on the local environment and has organized large community diver cleanup events to remove thousands of pounds of beads and debris from Tampa’s waterways.
 
In 2020, Demetri collaborated with the City of Tampa to launch the Bead Free Bay campaign, reminding parade-goers that throwing beads harms the environment and is illegal. This joint effort led to reduced pollution from the parade in recent years.
 
Beyond Tampa, Demetri served on the EarthEcho International Youth Leadership Council and the Mayor’s Sustainability and Resiliency Advisory Team. Currently, a sophomore at Vassar College pursuing environmental studies, he advocates sustainability on campus as the Sustainability Executive for the Vassar Student Association. Demetri’s commitment to positive environmental change led to research he undertook this past summer on clean energy technology adoption by governments.