One 7 year old in Arvada is proving even the youngest of us can make a difference in the world.

Madhvi Chittoor, a first grader at Hackberry Hill Elementary, recently had success getting US Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to proclaim the entire month of April as Plastic and Styrofoam Pollution Awareness Month throughout the state.

“The aim is to make Colorado residents aware of the impact that plastic pollution has on our environment,” said Chittoor. “Not only does plastic and Styrofoam in the form of take-out containers, craft products and packaging materials, end up on our streets, streams, and oceans, but also kills birds and sea animals and ends up in our food chain and in the water we consume as microplastics.”

Madhvi’s mother Lalitha Chittoor says her daughter has always loved animals since a young age, and has always been expressive. She says her daughter was inspired to work on the issue of plastic pollution after watching an environmental documentary in 2016.

Together, the two of them went to one of Rep. Perlmutter’s community meet-and-greets at the Natural Grocers at Kipling and 44th Avenue.

“She spoke very passionately to him (Perlmutter), and he directed us to the governor’s office,” said Lalitha Chittoor.

The young environmentalist isn’t stopping at just the state proclamation either. She has started a letter-writing campaign to Arvada-area restaurants asking them to consider switching from plastic straws to paper.

Recently, the mother and daughter team has been in touch with the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, asking that all Styrofoam be removed from district lunchrooms.

Madhvi Chittoor has also written a book, “Is Plastic In My Food?” available for free on Amazon.com, and is starting a nonprofit, titled Madhvi4 EcoEthics.