“A wild, wave-crashing adventure with heart, humor, and a heroic pug—Plastic Plankton is environmental fiction that’s as entertaining as it is urgent. Think sailing buddy adventure with a dash of Ironman grit. You’ll laugh, cheer, and maybe even rethink that plastic bottle.”

In paradise, the ocean is choking from plastic—and it’s going to take a pug in a cape, rogue best friend sailors, and one Ironman-in-training to fight back. On the Big Island of Hawaii, volcanoes simmer and waterfalls thunder as Tilly trains for the grueling Kona Ironman—not for glory, but to raise awareness about plastic pollution. Across the sea, her estranged brother Moore and his best friend Spit (a hip hop-obsessed stoner with a good heart and questionable sea legs) sail toward the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to check out a high-tech plastic cleanup device. But something smells fishier than the ocean air.

The machine’s success is a lie, rigged by soda giant SodaCo—and it’s going to take more than good intentions to expose the truth. Enter: a rebel insider with a conscience, an old French sailor with salt in his veins, the freewheeling Sandglass bike-surf crew, a gentle Hawaiian giant, and a tiny pug named Plastic who’s ready to save the planet—one bark at a time.

Plastic Plankton is the second novella in the Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet series: a fast, funny, irreverent cli-fi adventure full of friendship, satire, epic landscapes, and a reminder that it takes all kinds of heroes (even the four-legged ones) to clean up a very human mess.

“In these wonderful stories, Kalfsbeek addresses important environmental issues through the loving, gentle hands of a cast of characters that are easy to connect with. One wants to be part of this healthy gang; it is easy to fall in love with one or two of them. She has found an avenue to address these critical issues that must be talked about but without a heavy hammer. A delightful read that will fill you with hope and a forgotten bounce in your step, or pedal.”

—Chris White, author of Wind, Waves and a Suicidal Boat

About the Author

Avis Kalfsbeek is the author of Plastic Plankton, the second book in the Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet series—a smart, satirical, and joyfully rebellious collection of outdoor climate adventures that tackle big environmental issues with heart, humor, and a healthy dose of chaos.

In Plastic Plankton, Avis sails into the murky waters of ocean plastic, corporate greenwashing, and sibling misadventures, weaving a story that’s equal parts tropical escapade and environmental call to action. From Ironman training on the Big Island to pug-powered heroism on the high seas, her storytelling celebrates friendship, resilience, and the idea that saving the planet doesn’t have to look perfect—it just has to start somewhere.

She lives with her own water dog, Teo Panadero Pescadero, exploring the coastal trails, backroads, and beaches where nature, activism, and storytelling come together.