Meet Justin Sather

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Sather and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I believe imagination and innovation are needed to create change. I’ve always liked building things through hands-on projects such as art, robotics, 3D printing, and learning about concepts like biomimicry. Biomimicry taught me how engineers mimic features and behaviors from nature to improve their own inventions and designs. For example, tree frog toe pads helped inspire the tread patterns on car tires to improve the safety of driving. I believe people are capable of inventing more creative solutions to help global problems if they think outside the box, learn to recognize mistakes are part of the process, and have determination to improve their ideas through trial and error. My hope is to encourage others to “Engineer for the Environment” to create a healthier and greener world for the next generations.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Now on my 14th birthday I trademarked the term “Engineering for the Environment” and am working on my first big engineering project. I am working with an inventor, Gary Schlemmer, on solutions to help bring frogs back to urban communities. Gary is the founder of SymSyn and has spent over 25 years studying the decline of frogs especially in urban areas. He has engineered a series of habitats to help people rewild urban spaces to bring frogs back into their communities. At times, the idea may seem unusual, but the reality is frogs are disappearing faster than any other animals on the planet. That’s why I’m thrilled Gary has given me the opportunity to help brand one sector of his company—FroggyForts.com!

The first engineered frog habitat is named The Frog Fortress. Imagine a birdhouse but it is made for frogs and it can be placed in your backyard, on a balcony, rooftop, or even in a school garden, or local park. The Frog Fortress is the ultimate habitat for frogs because of all of its cool features. It has wading pools, secret hideouts from predators, and even insect-attracting lights to attract food for them to eat. The Frog Fortress features built-in cameras for live-streaming, allowing you to observe visiting frogs, learn about their behaviors, and simply enjoy watching them in their natural habitat.

Over the years I’ve learned so many fascinating facts about frogs. I bet you didn’t know frogs breath and drink through their skin or that they can catch an insect with their tongue in less than a blink of an eye. What I find most interesting is how frogs all start out as tadpoles and transform into a four-legged creature. It’s like magic! I think frogs make the world more magical so my hope is to help keep their magic alive for the future generations of kids.

Soon, I hope to work with local scientists in San Diego and Los Angeles to help them bring back the endangered mountain yellow-legged frogs. These frogs used to be all over the region, but now are critically endangered due to pollution, habitat loss, and predators. Gary is teaching me all about his inventions and how he’s dedicated his life to engineering these frog habitats to support scientific research and to the protection of frog populations. He wants to bring people closer to nature and help create more green spaces for a healthier planet for people and animals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend came to visit, I’d definitely take them to see Batiquitos Lagoon and Annie’s Canyon. These are my two favorite spots around here because I love hiking, being outdoors, and being in nature.

Batiquitos Lagoon is really cool because it has a winding trail through wetlands and marshes. There are always people walking with their dogs and the view of the lagoon is peaceful even though it is right next to the freeway. I think it is amazing how San Diego has so many green spaces even within the big city.

Annie’s Canyon is also a super cool and unique spot. It’s a slot canyon, which means you hike between super narrow rocks, and it feels like you’re climbing through a hidden path. To get to the top, you have to climb metal ladders that are built into the rock walls, and it feels like you’re on a mini adventure. At the top there is a view of the entire San Elijo Lagoon. And what is really awesome is there is a Coaster Rail Train stop nearby so I always like to ride the coaster there with friends.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this Shoutout Article to Mark Rober for his work as an engineer, inventor, YouTuber, and educator. Mark has been a big influence in inspiring me to expand my environmental project which I started eight years ago. In kindergarten I learned how frogs are disappearing, and being an indicator species, I learned this was a clear sign that frogs are telling us the planet needs help.

I started JustinsFrogProject.com and began raising awareness about our environment to educate and inspire others to help the planet too. I started by helping restore the local Ballona Wetlands near my home in Los Angeles, and now (five years later) I have protected over 100 acres of rainforest in Ecuador with ta nonprofit built by and for young people called Reserva Youth Land Trust. My project ideas and their impact expanded when I began middle school, inspired by YouTubers, engineering classes, and a growing desire to create meaningful change for future generations.

Many YouTubers aren’t always the best role models for teenagers, which is why I found Mark Rober so inspiring. I noticed he was motivating kids and teenagers to make a positive impact on the world while sharing my passions: engineering, helping the planet, and having fun too It was super cool when Mark and Mr. Beast created their Team Seas and Team Trees Campaigns. I joined both and helped raise over $1,500 to help clean our oceans from plastic pollution and help get trees planted worldwide. Things got even more exciting when my parents bought me Mark’s Crunch Labs STEM boxes for my 12th birthday.

Now in my third year with Crunch Labs, watching Mark’s videos and building his hands-on engineering projects has shown me how small, creative solutions can solve big global challenges. I started to think about the different inventions and gadgets that have made a real positive difference in our world. One example is Boyan Slat’s Interceptor Boats. I had the opportunity to meet him and learned that he invented the Interceptor Boat after a disappointing scuba diving trip in Greece, where he saw more plastic than fish in the water. He wanted to find a way to keep plastic out of our oceans and made a goal to put his Interceptor boats in some of the dirtiest rivers around the world to stop the flow of trash getting into the oceans. I was fortunate to help advocate for one of his Interceptor Boats to be placed in Los Angeles’ Ballona Creek, where I witnessed firsthand how it traps trash and plastic. It was really cool!

My newest goal is to work with different engineers to find solutions to global problems not only to end plastic pollution but also problems like deforestation and even climate change. And my dream is to one day visit Mark Rober’s Crunch Lab and create with him too.

Website: www.JustinsFrogProject.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/justinsfrogproject/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustinTSather/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0tXiP4e2ecjSZsNBM5f16g

Other: www.FroggyForts.com