a positive spin on quarantine - ocean focused organizations
What a crazy year this has already been. If you’re like us, we went into 2020 with so many ambitions and goals. But honestly it gets hard to keep the motivation and excitement up while quarantined in your house 24/7. However, there are some positives that we can focus on! You know who is actually benefiting from this? Our planet. With less people driving, factories shutting down, and people staying at home, there has been a decrease in the amount of nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide in the air. Keeping the earth clean and safe needs to be more of a priority once all of this is over. We wanted to share some ways that we can help clean up the ocean! Millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean every year killing millions of sea creatures and sea birds. It is estimated that about 88% of the ocean’s surface is polluted with plastic debris. If we don’t start paying attention and doing something about it now, the effects on climate change and animal extinction will be catastrophic.
Oceana
Oceana is a nonprofit organization that focuses on influencing certain policy decisions to preserve and restore all oceans. Before them, no organization was working exclusively to protect and restore the oceans on a global scale. Oceana is focused on oceans, dedicating to achieving measurable change by conducting specific science-based policy campaigns with fixed deadlines and articulated goals. Since its founding, Oceana has won more than 255 victories and has protected more than 4.5 million square miles of ocean. Visit Oceana.org to learn how you can donate and help save the oceans.
The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit foundation founded in 2013 by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat at the age of 18 years old. Their team now includes more than 90 engineers, researchers, scientists, and computational modelers who all work together to develop advanced technologies to clean up the world’s oceans. The ultimate goal of The Ocean Cleanup project is to reach a 90% reduction of floating ocean plastic by the year 2040. Visit theoceancleanup.com to read more about this project and find ways to donate.
Coral Gardeners
Coral Gardeners is a coral reef restoration & conservation program. Coral reefs are the lungs of the oceans. Half of the oxygen we all breath comes from the ocean. Without reefs, we will not have the amount of air we need. If we continue to sit back and do nothing about the amount of coral reefs dying, there will be no more coral on earth by 2050. Coral Gardeners allows you to adopt corals that they will plant in the oceans. One coral is about $27. You will receive an adoption certificate that includes the coral’s name, photograph, and GPS coordinates of where it is planted! It’s a really cute and personal way to make a big impact. Visit coralgardeners.org to learn more about how you can help our ocean’s coral reefs.
Surfrider Foundations
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit organization that focused on water quality, beach access, beach and surf spot preservation, and sustaining marine and coastal ecosystems. The Surfrider Foundation includes 81 chapters and 85 youth clubs around the country who connect with those at both local and national levels. Since 2006, they have had over 600 campaigns become victories. Visit surfrider.org to see how you can donate and get involved.
Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy is a non-profit environmental advocacy group that helps formulate ocean policy at the federal and state government levels. They create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and wildlife and communities that depend on it. Visit oceanconservancy.org to read about how you can volunteer and donate to make a difference.
There are plenty of more awesome organizations that all have a mission to help make our oceans better for our future. We know these time are hard for a lot of people financially, but if you are able, please consider donating to them! Visit any of these sites to read more about each organization and how you can make a difference.
Stay safe and stay healthy! We will all get through this together.
All love,
Cierra & Aubrey