Environmental engineer and National Geographic Explorer Jenna Jambeck made a startling research discovery in 2015: About 8.8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. That's why she’s working with governments and the public to come up with solutions for the plastic-waste crisis.

But Jambeck has another important constituency: her two sons. We chatted about how she balances her passion for reducing plastic waste with being a busy mom trying to raise a family of waste warriors.

If I was trying to explain the issue to kids, I might say that that 8.8 million tons figure equates to about a dump truck of plastic poured into the ocean every minute. We find it everywhere we look in