Isle Of Palms Magazine Summer/Fall 2018

22 www.IsleOfPalmsMagazine.com | www.ILoveIOP.com | www.IOPmag.com A fter teaching elementary school science for 15 years, Robert Hopkins tossed his shoes and traded in his school science lab for a floating classroom in 2001 to educate both kids and adults about all things nature with Barrier Island Eco Tours. Every day is a field trip for Hopkins, who uses his job as a platform to teach people to protect and respect our natural environment. He figures that if each of the 15,000 kids who take the tour over the course of a year comes away having learned only one thing, that’s still making a big difference in their lives and in the environment. His favorite part is the wow factor in learning new things – the “Did you know…” and “This is why this is…” and “Wow, I didn’t know that!” Though he mostly sees tourists, even the locals, he said, learn new things and gain a better appreciation for the world around us. “Until people appreciate why these things matter, it’s not going to matter. We live in the No. 1 destination for Americans and the No. 2 destination for earthlings. We get to be here full-time, and we should take advantage of that. I am lucky enough to get to do what I would want to do if I didn’t have to do what I want to do,” he said. Photo by Jess Wood. . .I .