This video, which was featured in popular media outlets such as National Geographic,[3] HuffPost,[4] The New York Times,[5] ABC News,[6] and CNN,[7] highlighted the dangers of plastic pollution on marine wildlife and was a catalyst for the global anti-straw movement that led to several straw bans by businesses such as Starbucks,[8] Disney,[9] and Alaska Airlines.

[13][14] Another big role model of hers was Jane Goodall, after she found the German translation of the book In the Shadow of Man at a public library sale.

[17] In March 2010 she was awarded her German Diplom (Masters of Science) in biology from Julius-Maximilian-University, in Würzburg, Germany, majoring in behavioral physiology and animal ecology.

Figgener has been working with sea turtles[21] in Central America since 2007, focusing on applying her research findings to the conservation of these animals.

Figgener fosters awareness of these issues by speaking out about the difference everyone can make by changing daily habits, such as limiting the use of single-use plastic products.

In 2013, Figgener's good friend and colleague Jairo "Foca" Mora Sandoval was murdered[23] while protecting leatherback turtle nests in Moín, Costa Rica.

[13][15] In 2015, Figgener was thrust into the international spotlight when she filmed the removal of a plastic straw stuck in a sea turtle's nostril[1][2][24] while on a research expedition for her doctoral dissertation in Costa Rica.

Visiting researcher Dr. Nathan Robinson, who studied ectobionts on sea turtles at that time, successfully removed the plastic straw and Figgener uploaded the video to YouTube.