A Maritime teen with a keen interest in the environment will soon make her mark on the world stage.

She's become an authority on the pollution in Nova Scotia's Lahave River and an advocate for cleaning it up.

The constant flow of dump trucks driving by Stella Bowles’ home are a testament to the the 14-year-old’s successful campaign in getting the Lahave River cleaned up.

“Now there's $15.7 million to clean up the river which is a huge, huge success for our community,” said Bowles.

Bowles was 11 when she tested the Lahave and alerted residents it wasn't safe to swim in.

She created a science fair project on the issue and campaigned to have all straight pipes removed and septic tanks replaced – and it worked.

“We get to see daily septic systems being installed along the Lahave River,” said Andrea Conrad, Stella’s mother.

“Knowing that it was part of Stella's project is really, really impressive.”

But her work doesn't stop at the Lahave. The 14-year-old’s passion for change will take her to Sweden next week where she'll meet with like-minded people.

“We're attending a two-day conference in Malmo, Sweden about ocean literacy, and how we can work in schools and get kids to become advocates for the environment and the ocean,” said Conrad.

Said Bowles: “I really want to show youth that science can be fun, because before my project I didn't realize that you can have fun with science and that it's more than just a text-book.”

Conrad says she's thrilled her daughter will be able to speak with students on the other side of the Atlantic living in coastal communities and dealing with the same environmental issues. 

“As a teacher myself, I am super excited to make the connections with schools over there and bring the information back and hopefully have some dialogue between the two countries,” Conrad said.

As for the future, Bowles is hoping to pursue environmental law someday, but for now she'll focus on educating and inspiring students in Sweden.

“I definitely want to tell kids: ‘if you have a passion, take it on; you can make a difference.”

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.