The world of Earth is an ocean. This is evident from space, whether the planet is seen as the blue marble we see in orbit, a bright sapphire star from our planetary neighbors, or a bluish dust mote at the solar system’s boundary.
The oceans support tens of thousands of amazing species and are essential to the survival of our planet. They generate half of the oxygen we breathe, make up 72% of the world, and hold over 97% of its water.
But maybe for us land-dwellers, all of this is a little too easy to forget. The oceans, like many other ecosystems, are under threat from a variety of human activities, including pollution, global warming, overfishing, and acidification.
Every day, tonnes of plastic waste from large cities enter the water. This waste includes items like grocery bags, food containers, bottles, and other throwaway items.
There is cause for optimism, which is wonderful news. Although members of our species are capable of dismal deeds, we are also capable of creative advancement.
This article will examine some of the incredible ocean cleanup organizations that use people’s skills and knowledge to save our seas and contribute to the development of a more sustainable future.
Table of Contents
Ocean Cleanup Organizations and Their Focus
Some of the most inspiring ocean companies that are putting a lot of effort into lowering ocean pollution, safeguarding marine habitats, and preserving our oceans for future generations are listed below.
- The Ocean Conservancy
- Ocean Blue Project
- The Ocean Cleanup
- Clean Ocean Action
- Coral Reef Alliance
- Sea Life Trust
- Surfrider Foundation
- Marine Conservation Institute
- Oceana
- Lava Rubber
- Ocean Sole
- Sea2See
- Bracenet
- 4Ocean
1. The Ocean Conservancy
One of the first groups committed to protecting our oceans is the Ocean Conservancy. Its primary goal when Bill Kardash first started it in 1972 was to instill a sense of environmental and animal welfare in people.
After fighting for individual species, the organization changed its name to The Ocean Conservancy in 2001 after realizing that protecting species also required protecting their environments.
These days, the ocean, its ecosystems, its people, and the communities that depend on it are all protected by these amazing organizations that operate all around the world.
The Ocean Conservancy works in many different areas, such as combating climate change, assisting in the creation and implementation of improved public policies, and establishing sustainable fishing methods.
They find creative solutions for a more sustainable future by bringing together research, the community, and policy.
2. Ocean Blue Project
The Ocean Blue Project was established in Newport, Oregon, in 2012 to safeguard the One World Ocean. Richard and Fleet Arterbury, proudly enrolled tribal members of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, had the idea for the Ocean Blue Project from the start.
The Arterburys founded Ocean Blue Project to provide Oregon State University students with the organizational support they required when they learned that the students needed a 501c3 organization to arrange beach cleanups.
The goal of the Ocean Blue Project is to restore and preserve the rivers, beaches, and oceans around the globe.
Through the recovery of plastics from ocean, beach, and river clean-ups, solutions, cooperative community-driven service learning initiatives, and youth education, they seek to prevent contaminants from entering ecosystems.
Their work is motivated by their dedication to a healthier and cleaner ecosystem, and we enable individuals and communities to join them in this important cause.
Hundreds of volunteers from all around the United States have joined the Ocean Blue Project group; they are regular people like you who have banded together to fight for a healthy ocean.
Through the expertise of committed mentors, business partners, and individual supporters, Ocean Blue Project supports people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels in their efforts to protect the environment.
3. The Ocean Cleanup
Boyan Slat, a Dutch inventor, established the non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup in 2013, and it has been fighting plastic pollution in our oceans ever since.
It accomplishes this by creating new technologies to eliminate plastic waste from marine habitats, improving the environmental problems facing our world, the state of the global economy, and the well-being of both people and wildlife.
Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, they extract plastic from the ocean to stop it from degrading into hazardous microplastics.
Additionally, by operating in rivers, they catch plastic that is headed for the ocean and keep it from ever reaching coastal waters. By 2040, the Water Cleanup hopes to remove up to 90% of the plastic that floats in the water.
4. Clean Ocean Action
The goal of Clean Ocean Action is to safeguard and enhance the quality of marine waterways throughout the US East Coast.
It protects the national and regional waterways through the use of science, law, research, education, and community involvement. The organization is made up of a coalition of groups known as the “Ocean Wavemakers” that have been collaborating since 1984.
These groups work together and apply their unique backgrounds and abilities to effect change in the actual world after the COA staff has investigated the dangers and determined which policy to put into place.
The group has been putting together press conferences and protests, giving testimony at public hearings, and distributing pamphlets to encourage people to safeguard the ocean for the past thirty-plus years.
5. Coral Reef Alliance
The Coral Reef Alliance collaborates with localities all around the world to address issues related to coral reef protection.
The organization spearheads comprehensive conservation initiatives that enhance coral reef resilience and health by working with scientists, fishermen, government officials, and divers. These initiatives are then repeated globally.
The majority of the work is completed in four of the world’s most significant reef zones – Fiji, Hawaii, Indonesia, and the Mesoamerican Region.
Globally, CORAL is ushering in a new era of reef conservation that advances scientific knowledge of coral conservation and helps coral adapt to a changing environment.
The Science of Adaptation, Intact Reef Ecosystems, Clean Water for Reefs, and Healthy Fisheries for Reefs are some of the Alliance’s flagship projects.
6. Sea Life Trust
The Sea Life Trust is a legally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the oceans’ ecosystems, biodiversity, and species. They work on worldwide conservation efforts in addition to supporting regional initiatives to protect marine life and its habitats.
One of their primary goals is to lessen the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean by starting campaigns, funding cleanup efforts globally, and getting rid of ghost fishing gear, which is one of the deadliest things in the water.
Additionally, they own and run two marine wildlife sanctuaries: the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in the United Kingdom and the Beluga Whale Sanctuary off the coast of Iceland.
7. Surfrider Foundation
Since its founding in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation, a grassroots conservation organization with headquarters in California, has worked to save the nation’s beaches and oceans.
Strong community collaborations, beach clean-ups, water quality testing, and other initiatives are all supported by Surfrider’s extensive grassroots network, which fights to safeguard regions and seas.
Eighty-four cents of every dollar donated to the foundation goes towards funding campaigns and programs that directly safeguard the coast; the remaining portion is used to generate future donations and pay for running expenses.
Visit Surfrider’s campaign website to find out more about the organization’s work, and register to volunteer and receive updates on its accomplishments at surfrider.org.
8. Marine Conservation Institute
In 1996, a single person’s vision gave rise to the Marine Conservation Institute.
To ensure that the richness and abundance of marine life will be preserved for future generations, the organization is primarily focused on assisting in the establishment of a global network of Blue Parks, which are officially recognized as highly protected areas within the ocean.
Science is employed at the Marine Conservation Institute to identify significant marine habitats and promote their preservation. By 2030, they hope to have 30% of the ocean under protection.
One of their most well-known initiatives is the Marine Protection Atlas, a one-of-a-kind repository of worldwide information on marine protected areas that is updated continuously and will be a vital tool for international advancement in matters about marine conservation.
9. Oceana
One of the biggest groups in the world devoted exclusively to marine conservation is Oceana. The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Oak Foundation, the Marisla Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund founded it in 2001.
Since its establishment, Oceana has won hundreds of tangible legislative triumphs for habitats and marine life. Oceana engages in campaigns aimed at eradicating significant contributors to ocean pollution, including emissions from shipping, aquaculture, oil, and mercury.
Furthermore, the organization works to save areas of the ocean that are at risk, such as the Mediterranean, the Aleutian Islands, the Arctic, and the Juan Fernandez Islands in Chile.
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10. Lava Rubber
If you were raised in the ocean and have a large assortment of vintage neoprene wetsuits in your closet, you really ought to look into Lava Rubber’s products.
This environmentally conscious company was founded by Michael Briody and started recycling in 2009. They gather used suits or remnants of neoprene from various ocean enthusiasts and turn them into something fresh!
They create “Lava Rubber” from the gathered neoprene using a unique manufacturing technique. Given how durable and difficult to discard certain materials are, this is a fantastic upcycling idea. They may start over and lead valuable lives because of Lava Rubber.
They have a wide range of products available in their online store, including coasters, yoga mats, outdoor mats, and slippers.
11. Ocean Sole
Another upcycling company that contributes to ocean conservation is Ocean Sole. It gathers flip-flops that have washed ashore on Kenya’s beaches and along the country’s coastline.
Julie Church, the company’s creator, had this amazing idea after she observed kids repurposing flip-flops as toys. She then began urging the community to gather, clean, and cut the slippers so they might be made into vibrant goods.
The idea was a huge hit, and what’s even better is that it helps out Kenyan coastal villages. Through its upcycling operation, Ocean Sole not only improves the lives of the local population and the environment, but its turnover also contributes to conservation efforts.
12. Sea2See
Glasses are made at Sea2See using recycled plastic from the ocean. Inspired by the Ocean Cleanup campaign, the CEO and founder of the company, François van den Abeele, began picturing this product while working in the marine industry.
His concept was to develop a product that would spread knowledge about the harm that pollution causes to the oceans and the value of protecting marine environments. He founded Sea2See after observing that there was very little sustainability in the optical industry.
Sea2See was one of the first companies to use recycled marine polymer in the watch and eyewear industries, and it has created a sustainable way to lessen the amount of marine plastic in the ocean while also enhancing the lives of underprivileged coastal communities.
To combat child fishing slavery, Sea2See also partnered with Free the Slaves; every watch you buy will provide educational materials for underprivileged kids in coastal communities.
12. Bracenet
Fishing nets that have been misplaced or purposefully dumped into the water are known as ghost nets. These nets can weigh up to a million tonnes annually and endanger marine life by becoming marine garbage.
The goal of Bracenet is to collect these nets and upcycle them into new goods. The company will then use the money it makes from these endeavors to either support more recovery operations or donate to organizations that safeguard the oceans and marine life.
It is an excellent illustration of the circular economy, in which items that are typically seen as garbage may be given value and have a positive effect. Handmade and plastic-free, the products include purses, dog leashes, earrings, bracelets, and much more.
14. 4Ocean
This business strategy is based on the idea that each person can make a single difference in the world and that we can all work together to change it!
4Ocean is dedicated to resolving the ocean plastic catastrophe and feels that business can be a positive influence in the world. They employ a full-time workforce to manage a global ocean cleanup effort, collecting hazardous marine waste and assisting in the empowerment of individuals to combat plastic pollution.
They sell cleaning supplies, eco-friendly accessories, and reusable substitutes for typical single-use plastic products (such as bottles and cups) in their online store.
Their bracelets, which are a symbol of the struggle against ocean pollution, are crafted from certified recycled 4Ocean plastic and stainless steel!
Additionally, a One Pound Promise is included with every 4ocean product, guaranteeing that one pound of rubbish will be removed from the ocean, rivers, and coasts.
Conclusion
Each of these businesses has successfully transformed a formidable global crisis into a chance for disruptive innovation and the advancement of humanity. Ultimately, as noted by Peter Diamandis,
“The world’s biggest business opportunities are the world’s biggest problems.” Ocean garbage presents a challenge, no doubt, but it also presents a chance for creative problem-solving.
These initiatives also show how multiple parties, including activist organizations, nonprofits, and businesses, may approach a single global issue from various perspectives to provide a multifaceted set of answers.
They show how real progress is made not only by utilizing exponential technologies but also by teamwork, education, and systematic legislative change, much like many of the threats we face.
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A passion-driven environmentalist by heart. Lead content writer at EnvironmentGo.
I strive to educate the public about the environment and its problems.
It has always been about nature, we ought to protect not destroy.