While professional cliff divers, Eleanor (Ellie) Smart and Owen Weymouth, were traveling around the world for their sport they kept noticing the same problem at every location: plastic pollution. The pair put their heads together and came up with The Clean Cliffs Project. It started with a simple idea, lets keep doing what we love while leaving a positive impact on the environment.
Please visit the official website for further details: cleancliffsproject.org
The DRIFTERS PROJECT, begun by Pam Longobardi in 2006 after encountering the mountainous piles of plastic the ocean was regurgitating on remote Hawaiian beaches, has worked directly through local sponsorship, small grant support and personal expenditure by cleaning beaches, making art and working with communities in Beijing, China (NY Arts Beijing, 2008); in Atlanta, Georgia (New Genre Landscape, 2008); in Nicoya, Costa Rica (Chorotega Sede/Universidad Nacional, 2009); in Samothraki, Greece (EVROS Cultural Association and PAI 2010); in Monaco (Nouveau Museé National de Monaco 2011); in Seward, Alaska and Alaskan Peninsula, Katmai National Park as part of the GYRE Expedition (Alaska SeaLife Center 2011, Anchorage Museum 2013-4 and CDC Museum in Atlanta, 2015); in Kefalonia, Greece (Ionion Center, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) with the 2014 birth of Plastic Free Island, and in Armila, Panama in collaboration with women artists of the Guna Yala community there. Longobardi and the Drifters Project was recently featured in National Geographic, commissioned for the cover of SIERRA magazine, and was a guest on the Weather Channel. Longobardi is Distinguished Professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta and Artist-In-Nature for Oceanic Society.
THE CONSCIOUS OCEAN proposes a collaboration between art, science, activism and like-minded groups that begins with the assumption that the ocean is a conscious entity that, in many different ways, from rising levels and temperatures to declining fish stocks to coral bleaching and finally to the deformed material plastic objects that float the world round, is attempting to communicate its declining state of being. The CONSCIOUS OCEAN also proposes that, though geo-political boundaries and naming have created numerous different ‘oceans’ and ‘seas’, it is ONE WORLD OCEAN, one continuous, flowing, interconnected liquid entity.
Please visit the official Drifters Project website for further information: driftersproject.net
Founded in 2017 by Katerina Topouzoglou, AllForBlue is an international, nonprofit organization which is dedicated to the protection of the oceans and its inhabitants, particularly sharks.
With our Beach and Underwater Cleanups we aspire to restore the purity of the waters – not only in Greece, but also in other countries surrounded by seas and oceans.
With our Shark Aware & Ocean Conservation Seminars, we aim to educate future generations about the crucial role of sharks in the ecosystem, thus preparing the citizens of Tomorrow for a big challenge: Saving Earth’s largest life support system.
The oceans and the seas are a source of life on our blue planet – and yet they’re increasingly threatened by disrespectful human activity.
Please visit the official website for further information:
allforblue.org
We are a growing family of beach lovers rolling up our sleeves to help rid the world’s beaches of marine litter and plastic pollution, two minutes at a time.
We believe that every piece of litter removed from the beach matters. So it doesn’t matter if you do 2 minutes or 30. Each and every piece of marine
plastic removed from the beach is a piece that will no longer go on to kill.
Our movement has grown enormously since its inception in 2014. Since then thousands of people all over the globe have used our hashtag for their
beach cleaning activities. Please visit the official website to learn more: https://beachclean.net
Last week, Costa Rica once again made headlines because of its incredible people. We refer, specifically, to those who work every day to maintain their beaches, parks, and all the biodiversity that surrounds this country. In short, it was a great example of ecological sustainability.
Through the Costa Rican Surf Association (Acos), the “Mega Cleaning of Beaches” at the national level was held specifically on December 5th, volunteers’ day. That was why a large number of people joined and enjoyed giving back to the beautiful beaches of our country.
Vanessa Hollan, as one of the organizers this year, in coordination with “Acos”, said: “I am very happy about this. My first year working not only in cleaning but also in the organization and search for sponsors within Dominical”. (venue of the event)
Among the sponsors who decided to say “present” in the cleaning of beaches, were Coldwell Banker, Mono Congo, Patrons, Ecoferia and, of course, The Costa Rica News. They all helped to collect the waste, take photos, and bringing food and drinks for the activity.
Other beaches such as Jacó, Hermosa, Azul, Guacalillo, Puntarenas, Pavones, Cieneguita, Tamarindo were also pampered by these Ticos and their sponsors. Definitely, an initiative focused on educating more citizens and motivating them to maintain cleanliness on the Costa Rican beaches.
read more here:
You wouldn’t dispose of your plastic straw by throwing it into someone’s front yard, and yet volunteers have picked up more than 9 million straws and stirrers from beaches and waterways over the 30+ year history of the International Coastal Cleanup.
It’s no wonder they’re among the top ten items collected every year. This small, everyday item is clogging our ocean and posing a huge threat to the animals that call it home.
What makes plastic straws unique is that for the vast majority of people they are not necessary. What’s more: sustainable, ocean-friendly alternatives are available.
Skipping the straw is an easy way that you can prevent increased ocean pollution. If you don’t need to drink using a straw, commit to skipping the straw and add your voice to the sea of people taking a stand for the ocean. Sign the pledge now and when offered a straw, simply say “no thanks.” Skipping the plastic straw can further inspire you to make other changes in your everyday life, from remembering the reusable shopping bag to packing reusable utensils and more.
This one simple change will protect vulnerable species like sea turtles, seals, sea otters and more who are directly impacted and endangered by the onslaught of ocean trash.
We are all responsible for the ever-growing tide of pollution in our ocean. It will take all of us working together, day in and day out, to stop it.
Thank you for all the ways—big and small—in which you lead the way in saving our ocean’s waters, coastlines and precious wildlife. Let’s keep our seas clean for all to enjoy.
Author: Emily Brauner
Idyllic beach scenes are a thing of the past in many regions. Many coastlines now look more like waste dumps. Plastic is being discarded carelessly and gets washed to the coast by the surf. By organising beach cleaning activities, OceanCare helps to reduce marine plastic waste, inspire the local population to continue this work and promote responsible action. These activities are accompanied by information on the scale and effects of marine plastic pollution.
In 2015, OceanCare together with its Greek partner organisation Archipelagos launched an awareness campaign on the Aegean islands. Our first efforts were focused on beach cleaning activities involving local schools. The campaign had a promising start and will be intensified.
In Sicily, where our own research project has established good contacts to the local community, OceanCare will soon organise beach cleaning and information events. The scientific data collected in 2015 and 2016 clearly show that the waters in the north-east of the island as well as in the Strait of Messina between Sicily and mainland Italy harbour an extraordinarily rich biodiversity. Many whales, dolphins, fish and sea turtles of endangered species have been sighted. We want to motivate the local population to protect these animals and to reduce the threats posed by plastic wastes.
Read more here:
oceancare.org
Read on to find out why Suriname is also referred to as the ‘Earth’s Greenest Treasure’.
I bet you guys probably know that we are having a year-long honeymoon and one of the highlights or our honeymoon, or maybe our entire travel lives were our Antarctica expedition. But of course, we are not stopping because, after our freezing adventure, we went back to South America to experience some of this extraordinary continent’s raw beauty and exotic charm.
After exploring Argentina, we went to Venezuela and finally ended our trip in what might be the least-traveled area of South America – the Guyana and Suriname!
We only stayed a couple of days in the Guyana, but it proved to be a country which has a lot of potentials when it comes to being a travel destination. This small country is located on South America’s North Atlantic coast with Georgetown as its capital. In here you can find buildings of both British and Dutch colonial architecture. And just so you know, Guyana is the only South American nation which uses English as their primary language
After seeing Guyana, we decided to spend more of our time in Suriname as we heard so much about the “Earth’s Greenest Treasure.”
Suriname, formerly the colony of Netherlands Guiana, is a sovereign state located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is culturally considered as a Caribbean country with Dutch as the official language used for their government, education and other ‘formal’ discussions. But before it was colonized, the country was occupied by various indigenous peoples. One of these groups were called Surinen, most likely where the name of the country was derived. The story of Suriname actually reminded me of the Philippines history before it was colonized by the Spanish for more than 300 years. In here you can find a lot of reserves, rainforest and other untouched wonders of nature. If you want to take a break from the city life and all the buildings and noisy cars, then I strongly encourage you to visit Suriname.
Suriname is located on the Northeastern coast of South America. To be more specific, Suriname is bordered by French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south.
Maybe you have already been traveling around the rest of South America, and you’re wondering if it’s really worth making the trip over to the north-eastern corner of the continent for ‘just another South American country.’ Well, Suriname is certainly not, ‘just another South American country!’
Suriname may be one of the smallest countries in South America, but it has something big to offer to all types of travelers. It is different mainly because of its Dutch colonial history which is evident in the language that they use until now. I tried greeting one of the locals in Spanish only to find out that they speak Dutch. They also speak English, Sranang Tongo, and Sarnami Hindustani.
Ah, this one is interesting because even though the country is small, it holds various traditions, culture, beliefs and religions. Let’s talk about few of these.
To begin with, the culture of Suriname has very prominent Asian and African influences. The reason for this is that many of the country’s inhabitants came from different parts of the world such as India, Africa, China and Indonesia.
Regarding Music, they are popular for kaseko. It’s a mix of different styles derived from various parts of the world and is usually accompanied by massive drums.
As for the religion, the highest number of people in Suriname follow Christianity followed by Hinduism and Islam. The rest are believers of Indigenous religions, Winti, Javanism, Obeah and Judaism.
What is fascinating about Suriname apart from the wonderful surroundings, is that even with such diverse culture and beliefs, they harmoniously live together – and happily I might add. It’s something that the country is extremely proud of and well-known for as an example of tolerance and acceptance. If they could just share their secret to the entire civilization, then this planet would be a better place to live in.
Suriname has two main geographic regions. One is the coastal lowlands of the north, and the other is the tropical rainforest and savannas of the west and south. It is the home of one of the largest reservoir lakes on the planet, WJ van Bloomenstein Lake. This country is also known as the land of rivers and mostly rolling hills with narrow coastal plain with mangrove swamps. Suriname is also called the greenest country on Earth, as it has the largest area by percentage of the virgin rainforest of any other country.
Based on our experience, it is generally safe to travel in Suriname, and this goes for most kinds of travelers. Suriname was identified as an affected area of the Zika outbreak, but we heard nothing of this, and it didn’t seem to have any effect on travel there. Just make sure to take necessary precautions when you travel. In addition, petty crimes are common in the capital (as much as they are in any other), and you just have to be cautious when going out at night. But in a nutshell, it is safe to visit Suriname.
When you are eating in Suriname, it’s as if you are having a taste of different cultures. Thanks to the various inhabitants that came from different countries, you get to taste East Indian, African, Javanese, Chinese, Dutch, Jewish, and Portuguese food among many others. And sometimes, they will try to incorporate these into one dish! Now, how’s that for a feast?
Suriname generally has a hot and wet tropical climate. There are two wet seasons, from April to August and from November to February. The dry seasons are from August to November and February to April.
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