More than 11 million tons of plastic litter enter the ocean every year – the equivalent of one dump truck of plastic every minute. That’s why Ocean Wise, a globally renowned conservation organization, is excited to launch the Great American Shoreline Cleanup. This new program will expand Ocean Wise’s successful shoreline cleanup program to the US and enable millions more people to get involved in combatting ocean plastics.
Thanks to a new partnership with Tru Earth, Ocean Wise will launch the Great American Shoreline Cleanup with pilot shoreline cleanup programs in California and Texas starting later this summer.
This new program will build from the successful Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup program – one of the largest direct action programs in the country. Since it began in 1994, more than 28,000 cleanups have engaged almost one million volunteers, who have collectively prevented more than 2 million kg of trash entering Canada’s oceans, lakes and rivers.
“Saving our oceans is only possible with many people taking practical actions in their lives,” says Lasse Gustavsson, President and CEO of Ocean Wise. “That’s why our shoreline cleanup program has been so successful at, not only keeping plastics out of our oceans but influencing important government policies and changes to business practices. Now, with the support of Tru Earth, we can’t wait to get millions of Americans involved in turning the tide on ocean plastics with the Ocean Wise Great American Shoreline Cleanup. This is just the beginning of a global movement of everyday people being part of restoring our oceans.”
Tru Earth, also based in the Greater Vancouver Area, is both a leading eco-friendly household product company and a movement (#TruEarthMovement) committed to eliminating plastic from landfills and oceans. In an inspiring union of great ecological significance, Tru Earth will join forces with Ocean Wise as the founding partner in the US launch and global expansion of Ocean Wise’s shoreline cleanups. These initiatives mark a huge step forward for Ocean Wise, Tru Earth and the planet.
“We are proud to join Ocean Wise in taking this important initiative beyond Canada, to the rest of the globe. Their focus on saving the oceans and combatting climate change pairs perfectly with the Tru Earth critical cause: to make true, lasting change that helps save the planet,” says Tru Earth CEO and Co-founder Brad Liski.
Ocean Wise’s Great American Shoreline Cleanup will start in California and Texas this year, with an official launch on International Coastal Cleanup Day, September 18th. With a combined population of 70 million people and coastline of over 1,200 miles (nearly 2,000 kms), these two states are well positioned to be leaders in tackling shoreline debris.
