In a growing population we feel increasingly small, like our choices don't have an effect on our environment, our community or our planet; when in reality this is far from the truth. Colin West, Founder & Executive Director of the 501c3 Non Profit Organization Clean Up The Lake will discuss his career shift away from marketing and advertising in the alcohol industry and his choice to make a difference and use his time and efforts to do more for this world; he chose to launch the largest clean up in Lake Tahoe's history and decided to tackle this issue underwater where pollution has been sitting ignored for decades under the surface of the nation's largest alpine lake. Through his personal experiences he will show how each individual's choices is part of the overall direction our species is headed environmentally and socially speaking. The message he will drive home is that we all possess the unique ability within ourselves to 'make a difference', and that sometimes when we choose an area important to us that we are uniquely passionate about - you could even spark a movement in your wake that is unstoppable. Colin West has 10 years of experience as a SCUBA diver and is a certified PADI Divemaster. With a decade of experience as the Owner, Director and Executive Producer (EP) of a film & television production company, he has managed overseas operations, including project logistics, documentation, & personnel from 5 to 30 people on set at a time. His content has aired on networks such as Amazon Prime, ABC International, HULU, Virigin Media, In Flight Entertainment programs & more. His passion for the environment and the outdoors has always been rooted in who he is, and in his 30's it has become the forefront of his career where he launched the 501c3 non profit organization called Clean Up The Lake focusing on fighting back against pollution both above and below the surface of Lake Tahoe. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx