The Plastic Family left their coastal landscape for a while and made the trip to the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Initiated by Surfrider Foundation Europe, the action day was meant to draw attention on the global crisis of plastic pollution. »The Plastic Family has been much appreciated by our volunteers and gave us a real visibility among passers by,« says Charléric Bailly, SFE event manager. »A real success for this event!«

The estimated 19 billion pounds of plastic that end up in the ocean every year are expected to double by 2025. »The clock is ticking and we call on the European Parliament to take action now!⁣« says the foundation. 

For the occasion, 80 Surfrider Foundation Europe volunteers present that day collected more than 7000 cigarette butts in Place Lux, Brussels, outside the European Parliament. They also created a giant bottle made out of plastic bottles to emphasize on the amount of plastic trash dumped into the sea everyday. »Every year, we organize an official gathering with our European volunteers during a weekend of exchanges and discussions. They’re what we wall the Chapters Days,« says Charléric. »This year, we were approximately 80 including volunteers and SFE staff members. In view of the next european elections scheduled to occur in 2019, we chose to meet in Brussels in order to question the european deputies.«

Today, more than 8 million tons of plastic are found in our oceans every year. Whether it has deliberately been dumped or lost by accident, human-created waste represents the majority of the marine pollution, also called marine debris or marine trash, affecting the health of wildlife and humans themselves. »That’s why te event consisted in meeting up on Luxembourg Square in front of the European Parliament, while exhibiting art installations made out of plastic trash. We are convinced that art is a powerful tool to seduce people toward an environmental cause,« explains Charléric. »We organized a cleanup of the square and collected more than 7,600 butts of cigarettes in just an hour.« 

According to the Container Recycling Institute, 100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold in the U.S. in 2014, compared to 3.8 billion plastic water bottles sold in 1996. It means 315 bottles per person, 57% of those units were plastic water bottles. A threatening and terrible fact that we could avoid by slowing down our disposable lifestyle, refusing single-use plastics (plastic straws, plastic bag, plastic bottles, …) and using more sustainable containers.  

Today, we need to make global efforts to end plastic pollution. As mentioned by the Plastic Family, »we are the source but you can be part of the ocean.«  Follow their journey on Surfrider Foundation Europe.

Photos: Lucie Lucie Francini / Surfrider Foundation Europe

The Plastic Family has been made out of plastic trash found on the beaches of the Basque Country (Spain & France) by Panthalassa Society members Rebecca Kudela (Sea and Gather), Daniela Garreton and Panthalassa founder Sergio Penzo

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From May to September 2018, the city of Bruges is hosting the 2018 edition of the Triennial. Contemporary artists and architects from all over the world are brought together around one main topic, the liquid city. Many of them sought inspiration for their work in the role of liquidity in the city that is literally criss-crossed and surrounded by water.  »The world is changing rapidly. Some forms of life are under pressure,« says curator Michel Dewilde. »Fluidity is a symbol for change, for sociological change, political change and economic change.«

We’ve been amazed by the installation created by StudioKCA, a whale rising up from the Canal. Made up of 5 tons of plastic waste pulled out of the ocean, »Skyscraper is a physical example of why we need to change, how we use and dispose of plastic in the world today,« explain architects Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang, co-founders of the innovative architecture and design agency StudioKCA.

Toilet seats, kids bowls, hangers … The artists collected all the plastic that they found in Hawaii, cleaned it and started to assemble it. »The whale is almost 4 stories tall and weights several tons. And there’s a tremendous mode of engineering that’s going to keep it stable.« We sat down with StudioKCA to learn more about their newest large-scale installation.

Hi guys, tell us a bit about the StudioKCA…

STUDIOKCA is an award-winning architecture and design firm led by Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang. We’re based in Brooklyn, New York and have projects ranging in scale and complexity from lighting fixtures and interiors, to public installations, sculptures and buildings. The practice explores the ways in which context and locality offer opportunities to design and create objects and spaces that respond directly to the demands of their programs and site-specific environmental conditions. With each project, they are interested in how materials can be crafted or purposed to solve a problem, shape a narrative, create a sense of place, and offer a unique solution that resonates with visitors and clients.

From May to September 2018, the city of Bruges is hosting the Triennial. « The Liquid city » is the main topic of this year’s event. What about your process of creation?

When we first heard the term »liquid city«, we started thinking about the ocean (the first »liquid city«) and our city’s interaction with it, namely through waste.  This led us to find out that 8 million tons a year of plastic waste flow from our cities into this first liquid city, and that there is 150 million tons of plastic waste in the oceans right now. So, we decided to create a piece that would highlight this relationship and help to bring awareness to the issue of plastic waste in our oceans.

You ended up creating a gigantic whale rising up from the canal. Tell us more about your installation…

»Skyscraper«, or »the Bruges Whale«, is a 12 meters-tall whale made from 5 tons of plastic waste that we pulled out of the ocean. A whale, breaching the water is really the first skyscraper of the »liquid city« so it felt like the right form for our piece. Also, even though the whale is the biggest animal in the ocean, there is currently 150 million tons of plastic in our waters. That means, pound for pound, there is more plastic swimming in the ocean than there are whales, and we wanted to put the scale and scope of the problem into perspective.

You collaborated with the Hawaii Wild Fund, organizing major clean ups. Tell us a bit about these beachcombing sessions.

The HWF is a fantastic non-profit organization, and they became a great partner in our effort to collect Plastic Waste out of the ocean.  It takes about 2 hours of driving over lava rock to get to the coves littered with plastic waste from the great Pacific Garbage Patch. We worked with the HWF’s army of volunteers to fill up trucks and trailers full of waste to bring back to a container we kept in Hawaii.  In 6 short months, we had 5 tons of waste collected.  The sad part is, we could go out there for a day and clean a beach, and then go out there the very next day and find it covered, all over again.

Was it difficult to make this huge plastic whale stand up?

It is a very challenging structure. The foundation is underwater so we needed divers to make the connection to it and the main structure.  The whale is also tall, 12m, and cantilevers off of a 1.2m base. What makes this even more tricky, are two enormous fins that needed to be accounted for in order to make sure the whale doesn’t torque or twist.  We worked very closely with our engineering partners, Thornton Thomasetti to develop a cost-effective structural solution that is very safe and also straightforward to assemble on site (and underwater).

The architecture and design agency StudioKCA is used to create large-scale installations. Tell us a bit about your previous sculptures like ‘Head of Clouds’ and ‘Drop’.

We like creating large-scale installations.  We have created some fairly large pieces for the city of New York, NASA, the WSF, and now Bruges.  A couple of those have also sought to address the scope of plastic waste generated by us. Head in the Clouds, is a huge cloud shaped pavilion that was on Governors Island in New York City, made from 1 hour’s worth of plastic bottles thrown away in New York City- that’s 53,780 bottles!  Drop was an installation we created for the MADE event in Sao Paolo.  It looked like three drops of water, but was made from just 8 minutes worth of plastic bottles thrown away in Sao Paolo (more than 1,000 bottles a minute!)

What’s the message you’d like to spread regarding the problem of plastic pollution?

Plastic pollution is a problem we all have to address in our daily routines.  For just 1 day, keep track of everything you touch or use that is plastic.  Now consider reducing that by half, and making sure that the plastic you do use, goes into a recyling bin.  If we all do this, we might help stem the flow of the nearly 8 million tons of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans each year. 

How would you describe your relationship to the ocean today?

We love the ocean!  The oceans are something that make our planet unique in this galaxy, and what connects of all of us together. Clogging that unique aspect of our planet with waste from things we’ve simply thrown away seems irresponsible.  We work hard to call attention to global issues affecting our planet, and in the lives we lead to minimize our footprint on the earth and our oceans.

What’s next for you guys?

We are working now on finishing a 7m disc of stars for a small town in the Midwest (their place amongst the stars), and on a bike that has the potential to deliver off-the-grid power, water, light, and shade to areas that don’t have those ammenities.

Photos: Matthias Desmet 

Discover more creations from StudioKCA on their website.

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“Because, underneath all of this is the real truth we have been avoiding: climate change isn’t an “issue” to add to the list of things to worry about, next to health care and taxes. It is a civilizational wake-up call. A powerful message—spoken in the language of fires, floods, droughts, and extinctions—telling us that we need an entirely new economic model and a new way of sharing this planet. Telling us that we need to evolve.” ― Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.

That’s how we should start an interview with Sergio Penzo. The German creative director’s beginnings lay in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Studying business and design in Chile, he’s then been irresistibly caught up by European culture. Fascinated by the sea, Sergio Penzo wanted to create both a whole universe and a collective dedicated to and united by a common passion. »I felt there was a need for a more fluid platform that harnesses creativity and uses the power of storytelling to put a spotlight on our dependence of our fragile oceans and the immense influence it has on us.«

As an aesthetic and creative connection to our oceans, Panthalassa was born with the intention to reflect on our changing world. Today, our journal discusses contemporary culture and our unique relationship with our oceans, bringing together multiple talents, from photographers, filmmakers, writers and graphic designers. « We want to surprise our readers and bring people who are not necessarily receptive to ocean themes through beautiful aesthetics and unexpected stories. » Meet the ship master behind the creative boat.

Tell us more about your background.

I was born in Germany but spent all my childhood in Haiti and Dominican Republic. My family then moved to Chile where I finished school and studied business and design. I guess I have a nomadic spirit. I can’t keep down so I decided to try my luck in Europe. A few months later, I started working for Jung von Matt, one of the world’s biggest creative ad agencies. Influenced by authors like Naomi Klein, back then I believed in the power of brands to change the world for good or worst. So I started my own brand called TWOTHIRDS, a beautiful experiment which would lay out the blue print for what is today Panthalassa.

As a creative director, you’ve been working for prestigious clients and brands. What have been the lessons learnt along the way?

As a creative and strategist, I learnt to work around brands or companies that needed help. The solution was often a new idea, where nothing was defined. By putting together the brightest minds and talented creators, we’ve been able to shape a thought. I found this whole process fascinating and kept asking myself ‘what if we channelled this powerful energy into a good purpose?’ The essence of my work today hasn’t changed much, but the purpose has entirely shifted.

Who or what ignited your passion for the ocean?

Probably the fact of spending my childhood on an island surrounded by water did. Also, when I was 10, my mother started studying marine biology. We would spend afternoons studying together, I would do math while she’d be preparing her exams. 

Give us an insight of what your routine looks like today.

I get to our studio around 8. It’s only a 5-minute walk so I take the longer way alongside our local beach. I like the fact that the sea always looks different, so that already breaks the routine. There’s nothing certain about the sea, and I try to keep this unpredictability in my creative process. I make a break around 1 to get some things to cook at the local market, If you live in San Sebastian, eating pretty much dictates your life! I leave work around 7 and try to get some surf before the sun goes down.

You recently discovered sailing and free-diving. Tell us more about these two new water hobbies.

I just started free-diving two years ago. It was a huge discovery. Some people embark on a transformational journey through meditation or other practices. For me, it was free-diving. It made me confront many fears and embark on a shift of consciousness that is still taking place today. I only started sailing recently. It’s a total new way of experiencing the sea and, to my own surprise, it can be as exciting.

When and why did you decide to create Panthalassa? 

I was still involved with Twothirds but I felt it had shifted from a purpose driven brand. I felt there was a need for a more fluid platform that harnesses creativity and uses the power of storytelling to put a spotlight on our dependence of our fragile oceans and the immense influence it has on us.

The Panthalassa Society is an important element of the creative process. Can you officially present your team of talents? 

The Panthalassa Society is just a fancy word for our community of incredibly talented creators: They’re like-minded individuals who have a a great sensibility and love for the ocean. We have been able to attract some amazing people who give us their time, energy and talent because they feel that when we connect and collaborate we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves. 

Panthalassa is known for its avant-garde approach towards ocean-related stories. Tell us more about your editorial vision.

We keep this journal as a way to remind us the fascinating relationship we have built as a species with the ocean. We want to surprise our readers and bring people who are not necessarily receptive to ocean themes through beautiful aesthetics and unexpected stories.

Throughout your different projects, you tend to depict a certain philosophy of sustainability. Why is it so important to raise awareness of sustainable fishing and cooking today?

During the past few years, we’ve been working close with NGOs like Oceana and the Marine Steward Council supporting their efforts to end overfishing. We will need fish to feed the 9 billion people on this planet, and the only way is to secure healthy oceans and bring back the abundance our seas once had. I believe we can play a critical role by telling stories of sustainability and helping shift the narrative of the seafood industry.

What’s next for Panthalassa?

We are about to open a collaboration space in San Sebastian, a dream I had since starting Panthalassa. But I don’t want to give too much away. You will find out more about it soon.

Short Film: Technogym / C41 Studio

Creative director: Luca Attilio Caizzi

Photos : C41 Magazine

Read the full story on C41 Magazine.

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This process of collecting has increased my awareness of how much of a problem the entire world has with plastic pollution. It has encouraged me and my husband to try to make changes and better decisions in our daily lives to consume less, and especially use less single-use plastics.

An eccentric and colorful postcard saying « Greetings from Los Angeles » sold in a overloaded souvenir shop of the Santa Monica pier. For most of us, this is the very first picture that comes to mind when we think of California. Surprisingly, Rebecca Kudela Grettenberger is not so familiar with bodybuilders wearing this bad fake orange tan look. No. Becca grew up in a small, country, mountain town called Catheys Valley, just outside of Yosemite National Park in central California, surrounded by vast valleys where she developed a strong passion for nature. « At your feet lies the great Central Valley glowing golden in the sunshine, extending north and south farther than the eye can reach, one smooth, flowery, lake-like bed of fertile soil » described naturalist and author John Muir who became an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United State. 

Rebecca is definitely a creative spirit. Today living in Biarritz, France, our Panthalassa Society member works as a digital designer for Billabong Women, one of the biggest surfwear brands. At the end of the day, she uses her creativity to raise awareness of plastic pollution. « Small changes can have a huge impact, » she said. We sat down with Rebecca to learn more about the environment that inspired her passion for the ocean and her decision to participate actively in an environmental movement in order to save our ocean’s biggest threat.

Hi Becca, can you talk a bit about your background

I grew with lots of animals (my parents have a ranch) and spent a ton of time outdoors, hiking in Yosemite with my dad, swimming in the Merced River with my friends, riding horses with my Mom, exploring the ranch with my sister. We grew up without a television which I think encouraged us to be really creative at a young age, and spending so much time outside increased my appreciation for nature, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. 

How was it like to live in Southern California?

When I was 18 and headed off to college, I pursued my dream and moved to the beach. I lived in San Diego for five years while attending San Diego State University, studying art and graphic design. I met Brent, now my husband, in an art class and he was the one who helped me buy my first surfboard and taught me how to surf. We spent a lot of time at the beach together during these years, surfing in Pacific Beach, eating California Burritos at the beach while watching the sunset, driving down to Baja for the day for a morning surf and lobster lunch. San Diego very quickly became my favorite place! Then when I got my dream job working for Roxy in Huntington Beach as a graphic designer, I moved up to Orange County. The office was pretty close to the beach so we would spend a lot of our lunch breaks surfing, SUPing, laying out by the beach, running at the beach. Pretty much any time I wasn’t in the office I was at the beach. 

This is where your passion for surfing and the beach lifestyle come from? 

Even though we didn’t live right by the beach growing up, our parents would take us to the beach during the summer. We would go camping in Santa Cruz and spent a lot of time in Monterey and Carmel, so I have a lot of great beach memories. My interest in surfing and surfing culture started when I began to get magazines (Moxie Girl, Surfing Girl) and catalogs (Delias) in junior high and I would see those 90’s Roxy ads that are still so iconic today. I would stare at those pictures of those fit, tan, happy girls at the beach in Hawaii and dream about making that life my reality someday. I collected hang tags, starting at the age of 12, from all the Roxy clothes I ever bought – and I still have them! They were my initial inspiration that I think eventually led to manifesting my dream job at Roxy.

You live in Biarritz today. What do you like most about France and Biarritz?

Where to begin! I love France for so many reasons – I think most of all for the slower pace that people live life here, and take time to enjoy, but also the food, the bread, the wine, the history, the architecture, the language, all of it! And we especially love Biarritz for the beach and surf culture that manages to make France feel more like ‘home’ for us Californians. The Basque Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world and we get to call it home! We also love to travel and it was my dream to travel Europe before moving here, so getting to have a home base in Biarritz and easily get around Europe is a dream come true!

Everyday, you go out, run and collect trash on the beach. Your platform and project entitled « Sea and Gather » tends to turn plastic pollution into well organized visuals in order to raise awareness of plastic pollution. Tell us more about your passion for beachcombing.

I’ve always been a treasure-hunter – when we were little our parents would take us out on the ranch and we would explore around old rock house foundations from the gold rush days in the 1800’s, and we would find old objects – metal tools, glass bottles, bits and pieces from the past. I think that sparked my interest in hunting for old objects in nature, and beach combing is just another form of that! I love finding old treasures (and especially older treasures over here in Europe) washed up on the beach – those bits and pieces of sea glass are little bits of history that tell a story from the past. Unfortunately I find more trash and plastic than I do treasures, but it’s those special days when I find those treasures, pieces of pottery, porcelain dolls, old chunky glass bottles with typography, metal coins, toys… – all worth the hunt!

You’ve been collecting beach trash in France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Malta, Greece, and even more recently in New York! What would be your message to our readers and community of ocean lovers? 

I think that this process of collecting has definitely increased my awareness of how much of a problem the entire world has with plastic pollution. It has encouraged me and my husband to try to make changes and better decisions in our daily lives to consume less, and especially use less single-use plastics. It’s not easy to change your daily habits, but if we all work together to make small changes, it can have a huge impact! Instead of buying a plastic water bottles, bring your own and refill it. Same with coffee cups. Bring your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, use stainless steel straws instead of plastic ones, use paper Q-tips / cotton buds instead of plastic ones, try to buy vintage before buying new. The less single-use plastic we use as a population, the less will end up on the beach and in our oceans!

Discover more about Sea and Gather on Instagram.

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Called »the French California«, the Basque Country is considered a surfing mecca and a heaven for ocean lovers. Its fishing port, La Grande Plage, La Côte des Basques, Le Rocher de la Vierge, its sandy beaches and its turquoise waters at low tide make Biarritz a trendy holiday getaway for tourists. However, with the plastic pollution spectacle hitting our coasts, the »Queen of the Basque coast« has been showing another face. That’s what American graphic designer and owner of Orange Paper Shoppe Rebecca Kudela Grettenberger tries to reveal in her artistic layouts. 

Few years ago, Rebecca started beach combing in Biarritz the first week she moved there. Feeling homesick, beach combing was something familiar she could do to make her feel like she was back home. Since then, she’s been trying to make more of a conscious effort to not just collect beach treasures but to also collect more trash. Today, her beach clean ups in California, Spain, Mexico, Hawaii, Greece, Italy, France, or along the thames in London help bring awareness to all the trash in our oceans. We met her to learn more about her daily walks on the beach and her recent project »Sea and Gather«.

Hi Becca, you grew up in California, 2 hours away from the Pacific Ocean. How did you shape yourself this strong passion for the ocean?

Even though I didn’t grow up by the ocean, our parents would take us to the beach every summer. We would go camping in Santa Cruz, or spend weekends exploring Carmel and Monterey, Pismo or Morro Bay. I loved the beach and knew I wanted to live by the beach when I was old enough to move out on my own. As soon as I graduated high school I moved to San Diego for college and haven’t left the beach ever since!

When did you start beach combing? Do you remember the very first time?

I started beach combing during our trips to the beach when we were little, mostly collecting shells. I remember finding huge sand dollars on the beach in Pismo and my mom still has jars of shells we collected in Carmel. Since we didn’t live by the beach we always loved bringing small pieces of the beach home with us.

Everyday, you go to the beach and pick up piles of trash. What does your morning routine look like?

I am an avid runner and run almost every day, so I often time my runs around low tide. I do a 6 mile loop up to the Biarritz lighthouse, to the end of the Cote des Basque and back, and end the run at the beach where I collect treasures and trash. I usually bring a small bag with me in my pocket when I run so when I’m done I can collect. Often on the weekends I life to go surfing with my husband so depending on the tide we will spend time doing a beach clean / comb before or after our surf. 

You’re currently living in Biarritz in France but try to travel across Europe as often as possible. Tell us about all the beautiful places you found yourself picking up some trash..

Beachcombing in different countries is my favorite thing! So many different things wash up in each country… I’ve beachcombed in Porto, Portugal where I found lots of shells and seaglass. In Santorini, Greece I found colorful sea pottery. Near Rosarito in Baja, Mexico I always find plastic toys (doll arms – my favorite! haha) surf fins (close to some of the most popular surf spots) and pieces of Mexican tiles. I have some secret spots in northern Spain where I’ve found some of my most unique pieces of sea glass in rare colors like purple and deep turquoise. Mazatlan, Mexico and any island in Hawaii are where I find the most unique shells. Some of my most favorite finds are from my backyard in Biarritz, where I find sea marbles, porcelain doll heads and toys that seem really old, lots of terra cotta and pottery pieces and of course tons of trash.

I heard you even picked up some trash along the Thames River in London earlier this year! Tell us more that…

Yes! I spent a weekend in London in February with my best friend and every day while we were walking along the Thames we went down to the beach at low tide. Within the first few minutes down on the beach I found a few beautiful pieces of pottery that seemed very old, so I kept searching and found many more cool treasures like pieces of old bottles and glass containers. The finds were so unique we went back again the next day. The Thames beaches are really dirty so we made sure to pick up a few pieces of trash while we were searching for treasures!

You discovered the community of beach combers in London, didn’t you?

Yes, through Instagram I discovered there are quite a few beachcombers who live in London and comb the shores of the Thames, they call it ‘Mudlarking’ vs. beachcombing – they find some pretty incredible treasures, there’s so much history along those river banks! A few of my favorites : @mrmudlark @thamesplastic. 

You often call beach combing « treasure hunting ». What have been the craziest things you found on the beach?

My favorite types of treasures are sea marbles, sea pottery, rare colors of sea glass (which I find much more of in Europe than the US), and plastic doll body parts like arms and legs – they make me laugh! My favorite find was a small porcelain doll head, about a 1/2 inch tall – I think it’s very old.

You often find ‘Mermaid Tears’, those miniature round pieces of plastic, also known as nurdles, mistaken as food by fish…?

They are hard to spot, but they are everywhere if you look closely along the tide line. The smallest pieces of plastic are often the most dangerous because sea creatures mistake them for food. My goal this year was to fill an entire jar with these small plastic bead-like balls… they’re so miniature they take a long time to collect, but I try to do it as often as I can.

You recently created your Instagram account entitled « Sea and Gather » where you make nice pictures of organized little plastic beach trash you find on the beaches. Tell us more about the concept and process of creation?

The instagram account is just the start of what I hope to be a larger project. I plan to launch a website where I can document my finds in greater detail, and use my artistic layouts to help bring awareness to all the trash that is in our oceans. A combination of art and using my passion to bring awareness.

Would you say you gave yourself a mission of raising awareness through creativity?

Yes… I think by laying out my finds in a beautiful, graphic way, it gets people interested, more than just a pile of trash. I’m really interested in showing the comparison of things that SHOULD be on the beach, like shells and beautiful rocks next to things that should NOT be on the beach, like plastic & trash. 

At first glance it’s a pretty picture, but it also helps people be a little more conscious about where their trash is ending up, right?

When I find objects on the beach that are recognizable to people as something simple they use in their everyday lives, like straws, utensils, razors, toothbrushes, tampon applicators, toys, I think it helps people realize that everyday items can end up in the ocean, more than just an abstract piece of plastic. Seeing something like a toothbrush on the beach (or multiple toothbrushes, in just a few feet – gross!), an everyday object that everyone uses, will hopefully help people be more conscious about the single use plastics they are consuming. It’s a good reminder to consume less, especially less plastic!

You recently did an awesome discovery in Biarritz… Your first letter in a bottle! Tell us that crazy story! 

I was doing a beach cleanup by myself early in the morning, in honor of Earth Day. I was picking up trash all over the beaches of Biarritz, and I reached down to grab an empty water bottle and throw it in my bag of trash… I felt that the water bottle was weighted down and saw it was filled with little rocks and a rolled up note! I immediately opened the bottle to discover a note inside from a man named Max from Switzerland, hoping someone would discover his letter and send him some snail mail by post in return. It was a very magical moment!

You’re going to write this guy back?

Definitely! As an owner of a stationery brand, I’m always encouraging people to keep the art of letter writing alive, so of course I was excited that Max wanted a hand written letter! Beachcombing + letter writing are two of my favorite things, so I think this letter ended up in the right hands!

Follow Sea and Gather’s trash and treasures here.

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I believe The Ocean Cleanup will have an incredibly positive impact on the future of our oceans.

Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently litter the ocean. Earlier last month, The Ocean Cleanup raised 21,7$ millions in donations, bringing their total funding since 2013 to $31.5 million, to start Pacific cleanup trials and rid the oceans of plastic. 

Founded in 2013 by a 18-years-old genius named Boyan Slat, the Dutch foundation develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. « The Ocean Cleanup is developing a network of long floating barriers that act like an artificial coastline, enabling the natural ocean currents to concentrate the plastic, » explains the founder and CEO of the Ocean Cleanup. « Besides, The Ocean Cleanup designs processes to turn recovered ocean plastic into valuable raw materials. » Instead of going after plastic debris with vessels and nets, the Ocean Cleanup uses the ocean currents to catch the plastic. 

In May, the foundation announced it had successfully raised 21.7 million USD in donations. Donors include Silicon Valley philanthropists Marc & Lynne Benioff, as well as Peter Thiel, PayPal founder who then became the first outside investor in Facebook and anonymous investors, allowing The Ocean Cleanup to launch its first experimental cleanup system in Pacific waters by late 2017. «Our mission is to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, and this support is a major leap forward towards achieving this goal, » says Boyan Slat. « Thanks to the generous support of these funders, the day we’ll be returning that first batch of plastic to shore is now in sight. »

»Lynne and I are thrilled to support The Ocean Cleanup’s important goal of eliminating plastic in our oceans,« said San Francisco-based donator Marc Benioff.  « With Boyan’s innovative leadership, I believe The Ocean Cleanup will have an incredibly positive impact on the future of our oceans. I hope other leaders will join us in supporting these efforts.« 

However, despite the enthusiasm of the foundation’ supporters, a wide range of experts in marine plastics say it’s a bad idea, considering Ocean Cleanup « fundamentally misunderstands Marine Plastics and causes harm ». Despite the good intentions, the 2 kilometer floating network acting like an artificial coastline is victim of some technical critiques and raises some biological, ecological, and social concerns. « Technological fixes like the Array do harm to the larger project of ending plastic pollution, which is a complex social, environmental, and economic problem, » says scholar, activist, and artist Max Liboiron. « It is also going to damage and kill marine life. »

As one of the most polluted areas of the ocean, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, between Hawaii and California, will be the place for The Ocean Cleanup’s first experimental cleanup system by late 2017.

Learn more about The Ocean Cleanup.

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Every year, 8 million metric tones of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans. The vast majority of the plastic waste is underwater. Ranging from plastic bags, bottles and tiny microbeads of plastic broken down, this frightening amount of trash threatens marine life and marine ecosystems. As nobody can solve this problem alone, the Parley AIR Strategy and Corona (global) joined to create a new alliance to end marine plastic pollution. Through creative collaboration and eco innovation, the alliance commits itself to bring change to the beverage industry and protect 100 islands by 2020, starting in six key regions – Mexico, Maldives, Australia, Chile, Italy, and Dominican Republic. 

« We are the worst enemy to the ocean, » lucidly says a quiet voice in the short film. Gathering artists, designers, filmmakers, marine biologists, musicians, photographers, and scientists, the initiative approaches the problem from different angles and in a multidisciplinary way. « I didn’t know I was affecting so much. I felt guilty in a way. Now I feel part of the problem, I can be part of the solution. » Engaging like-minded ambassadors able to represent the partnership in their countries, the initiative brings together a variety of different people like Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna, Chilean surfer Ramon Navarro, and Dominican actress and TV presenter Nashla Bogaert who all recently attended Parley Ocean School in the Maldives. « The collective experience marks the starting point of an idea: together Corona (global), Parley, and a select group of creative change-makers will turn 100 islands into symbols of change. » 

We are all connected to the sea. »The state of our islands is a powerful reminder of that fact. Plastic trash travels around the world and washes up on the most remote beaches, enclosing paradise with a belt of colorful plastic debris. It makes you understand that something is dead wrong. Plastic is a design failure, » explains Cyrill Gutsch, Parley for the Oceans Founder. « In Corona, we found the perfect partner to bring this philosophy and strategy to a new territory: the beverage sector. Economy caused this plastic problem in the first place, but with the transformative power of collaboration and Eco Innovation, we can make it the key to the solution.« 

If current marine pollution trends continue, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050. That’s what the alliance tends to stop. « To raise awareness and immediately reduce the production of new plastic, we invented Ocean Plastic (TM) from upcycled marine debris and developed a formula for long-term change — the Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid plastic; Intercept plastic debris; Redesign materials, products and the ways we use them,« says Gutsch.

Known for their long-term initiative « Save the Beach » engaging local communities to do beach cleanups across the world, Corona describes itself as « a brand committed to protecting its heart and homeland ». The partnership with Parley for the Oceans represents an evolution of Corona’s commitment to take care of the outdoors. Today, Corona already avoids plastic by using wood across its promotional materials and serving ice cold Coronas in metal buckets all around the world. Additionally, the brand commits itself to implement a plastic conscious philosophy across all aspects of the brand by adopting the Parley AIR Strategy, and reduce, and eventually replace, plastic items that are currently in use. 

Corona promised to take an immediate action: Redesign the Corona Sunsets, a series of events and festivals, in order to educate more than 350,000 consumers a year. The 100 islands definitely represent the most iconic symbols of Corona’s paradise. 

More infos about the initiative here.

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