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See how the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico look today, 5 years after the disastrous BP oil spill.

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The Wilderness Society

It's been more than five years since the epic oil spill that devastated the Gulf of Mexico.

The BP-owned oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010, near the Mississippi Delta and spilled an estimated 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the next 87 days until it was capped. You probably saw all the awful photos of storks and dolphins dripping slick with black sludge.

"Active cleanup" efforts officially ended in April 2014; to hear BP tell it, "there is no data that suggests there are any long-term population-level impacts to any species." But that's in part because we simply don't have comparable data for a disaster this size.


So here's what $50 billion in cleanup costs and fines looks like today, according to the Gulf beachgoers of Instagram:


1. Walking barefoot on hot sand is bad enough without having to avoid the tar balls, too.

Just a "little" tar ball is all. #beach #tarball #oilspillremnants #igdaily #igaddict #gross #fuckyouBP #BPoilspill #donttouchthese #notmyhands #beachproblems #lookslikeagiantturd
A photo posted by Paul Irizarry (@that_kid_paulie) on


2. This low tide smells like sulfur.

Residuals from BP oil spill in the Gulf? Last night and this am at low tide this black "sticky" stuff accumulates with the tides. Will they hold up their reparations or bail out again? Not cool. #BP #bpoil #BPrefinery #bpoilspill #theGulf #AlligatorPoint #FL #StickySituation #CorporateEthics
A photo posted by Keeli Crewe (@keelicrewe) on


3. Well. Have fun sifting through the sand, I guess...

#scene #BP #itsclean #tarballs #oilspill #pcolabeach #lookatit #killingourbeachfromunderneath
A photo posted by Cameron Patterson's Perception (@pattersonsperception) on



4. It's kind of like mud! Just with oil instead of water.

Can anyone spot the sand in this oil. #bpoilspill
A photo posted by Me'le'sa (@moonlite_) on



5. Another tar ball! This one was found more than 300 miles from the Louisiana border in Port Aransas, Texas — lest you thought the effects of the oil spill were contained to a small part of the Gulf.

Tar balls. Natural oil seepage, oil tanker crashes and oil rig spills deposit oil into the Gulf of Mexico and over time this oil solidifies and washes up on shore as #tarballs. These tar balls are found all along the beaches from Louisiana to Mexico and are as common as sea weed and sea shells nowadays. What are we doing to our planet? Let alone our animals and food source? We need to wake up and realize that oil is a fossil fuel .. It won't be there forever so eventually we won't have it to fuel our lives.. It's past time we switched our energy source to something more earth friendly instead of something earth deadly. #ourworld #planet #earth #oil #petroleum #beach #sand #nature #animals #oneworld #energy #fossilfuel #oilspill
A photo posted by Timothy Knapp (@love2evol) on



6. As for this little sludge-streaked beach? It's all the way in Cuba.

malecon #cuba #bpoilspill #petrolio #dontswimhere
A photo posted by @sanchezjjose on


Sure, maybe we can't prove that this is all BP's oil, but we know that the immediate impact was felt in Havana and that there's some contention going on right now about further drilling off the Cuban coast.

While the "official" cleanup efforts might be over, it's clear there's still plenty of work left to do.

"There is nothing to suggest other than that the Gulf is a resilient body of water that has bounced back strongly," a spokesperson from BP said. "The Gulf has not been damaged anywhere near the degree some people feared it would have in the midst of the spill."

Sure, the oceans are resilient, and there's so much about them that we still don't understand. But the aftermath is more than just a few unsightly tar balls or some oil streaks uncovered in the tide. The Deepwater Horizon disaster was unprecedented in scale, and it's impossible to predict the lasting effects of an oil spill of this magnitude. All that oil has to go somewhere, right?

In the meantime, BP has already returned to the scene of the crime and is back to drilling the Gulf of Mexico. And now they have their sights set on the Great Australian Bight as well.

But there's still a chance to stop them and to prevent future dangerous drilling to occur in the Arctic Ocean or any of these other important U.S. wildlife reservations. You can also support any of the charities who are continuing in the Gulf recovery efforts.

Because it's not just about the beaches — it's about the future of the planet.

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

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A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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