From Bottles to Bills: How One Encounter Sparked a Statewide Recycling Movement

I first met Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher in 2012, and that moment changed the course of my life. At the time, he was championing an incredibly important piece of legislation: Chelsea’s Law. Officially named the Chelsea King Child Predator Prevention Act of 2010, the law was created in response to the tragic rape and murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King by John Albert Gardner III, a registered sex offender. This law aimed to impose tougher penalties on violent sexual predators, and Assemblyman Fletcher was a driving force behind getting it passed.

I was inspired by his passion and commitment. When he invited me to an event honoring those who helped push the bill into law, I felt honored just to be in the room. At the time, I was mentoring a group of kids through a grassroots initiative we called Kool Climate Kids. We volunteered at various city events in San Diego, collecting and recycling bottles and cans to teach responsibility and environmental care.

Back then, I was also beginning to explore electronic recycling fundraisers—a concept that was still new to many communities. It was during that event with Assemblyman Fletcher that I met Brent King, Chelsea’s father. Meeting him was powerful. I was filled with deep compassion and sorrow, imagining how I would feel if something so horrific ever happened to one of my own children.

That night lit a fire in me.

Soon after, we began organizing an e-waste recycling fundraiser at the Poway City, Boys & Girls Club to benefit Chelsea’s Light Foundation, the nonprofit created in Chelsea’s honor. That single event became the nucleus of something far greater. It sparked a six-and-a-half-year movement—a mission to transform electronic waste into funding for meaningful causes.

With the support of strategic partnerships, including Home Depot, we organized two recycling events every weekend for five years, across cities throughout California. Together, we diverted millions of pounds of toxic e-waste from our landfills, protecting the environment and educating communities along the way.

Our work gained local, national, and even international recognition. I was invited to speak at recycling symposiums, share the stage with green business leaders, and coach entrepreneurs on how to build sustainability into their business models. Black Entertainment Magazine featured our story, which even reached into a juvenile detention center in Arizona. An inmate wrote to me, inspired to start his own green business once he was released.

Over time, I received certificates from U.S. Senators, Members of Congress, and Mayors, along with proclamations for recycling initiatives I helped develop. We partnered with Zero Waste San Diego and many other eco-focused organizations. We helped plant trees, hosted KidsFests and Green Expos, organized Earth Day celebrations, and brought eco-education to public schools.

I was even appointed for a time as Executive Director of the Green Business Bureau’s San Diego Chapter. I consulted on projects for Green For All out of Oakland, and California Interfaith Power and Light. I even lobbied state senators in Sacramento to support the passage of new environmental bills.

Looking back, it feels like a dream. And to think—it all started with a group of kids, a pile of recyclables, and a desire to take care of the planet.

For that service, I’ve been blessed with unimaginable and immeasurable rewards—not in money, but in meaning, legacy, and purpose.

And I know now, it was all made possible through the reciprocity system of the Creator. When you give from the heart, the universe responds in kind.