MALIBU—On January 13, Plastic Oceans International announced their partnership with BlueCommunities. The global initiative will establish a collaborative partnership with local communities and organizations, that will support projects worldwide.
Plastic Oceans International is a US non-profit organization working to end plastic pollution and help sustainability within communities worldwide. Operating based of the four program areas Education, Activism, Advocacy and Science.
The start up was provided by Howden Group Holdings.
“We believe that localized efforts and relationships are the building blocks for creating socioeconomic and environmental change that benefits the entire planet,” said Julie Andersen, CEO of Plastic Oceans International. “Working locally has always been at the core of what we do, but this provides a more focused and effective way of doing so, allowing for a broader impact of the work being done.”
A BlueCommunity is a shared geographic region (village, town, city, province) whose local culture and economy function by waterways they inhabit, this could be anybody of water such as ocean, sea, lake, or river. Plastic Oceans seeks out local partners that already have existing socio-environmental programs that are making a difference with their citizens.
“We don’t look to come in and impose our projects and way of doing things,” said Tod Hardin, Chief Operating Officer of Plastic Oceans International. “Instead, we want to enhance what’s already working. As the old saying goes, don’t try to fix what isn’t broken. For us, it’s instead about learning from our partners and using our global resources and experience to create a larger impact and give these local efforts a worldwide voice.”
BlueCommunities connects like minded organizations by providing resources such as mini grants and guidance for those in need.
Plastic Oceans International has a goal of onboarding 250 communities and 1,000 members by the year 2022, the goal is to help 10,000,000 individuals worldwide.
Memberships are free however and evaluation process is requested prior to joining. For those interested in more information can be found at PlasticOceans.org/BlueCommunities.
