My artwork illustrates one example of action that can help conserve coral reefs: cleaning up beaches. I portrayed a young girl picking up beach trash to show the importance of youth regarding coral reef conservation. The girl wears a cape, representing how those who take care our coral reefs are real-life superheroes. The girl is alone, representing how action can start with just one person. The sunset in the background represents hope for the future, which is further visualized by the vibrant coral reef behind the girl. To summarize, the littered beach in my painting shows a current challenge for coral reefs, the girl demonstrates a small yet heroic action to solve this issue, and the colorful colorful reef background represents a positive goal that we all must work toward. All in all, my painting aims to thank coral reef “superheroes” and inspire a new generation of young, active leaders.

There is a globe-like ocean created because I thought that a healthy marine ecosystem can represent a healthy Earth. The recycling logo surrounding this sphere has been borrowed as it represents the example of Earth-protecting actions. By using contrasting colors such as green(vitality), and gray(death), the positive actions and negative effects were juxtaposed. The right arrow indicates the change in actions to riding a bicycle will protect nature. The arrow on the left proposes to wear rash guards rather than using sunscreens with two compounds (drawn in the arrow) which puts a fatal effect on coral. From these three arrows, I thought people's actions to save coral could lower the rising temperature of the sea and improve the water quality, which would enable us to regain coral reefs and the marine ecosystem. The large hand emphasizes that the solution to protect the coral lies in our hands.