Nonprofit Spotlight: Clean Ocean Action

Giving

In July, PennyLoafer donors collectively donated to Clean Ocean Action (COA)!

The Rundown

• Years founded: 1984

• Leadership: Executive Director, Cindy Zipf, studied marine science and has led the org since its formation. A champion of clean water, she believes in using science, law and citizen action to protect the marine environment.

• Issue they address: ocean pollution.

• What they do: improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the coast of New Jersey and New York.

• How they do it:

• Research: COA staff research pollution issues impacting the marine environment, help shape policy, advocate and organize around change.

• Education: they give presentations, publish educational kits and run programs for NJ high school and middle school students that provide hands-on, marine education and environmental leadership skills.

• Citizen action: the “ocean wavemakers” - concerned business and community members - participate in beach clean-ups, press events, rallies, contact representatives and testify at public hearings.

Why they were chosen

Clean Ocean Action is a lean organization that’s built a broad-based coalition of 125+ active boating, business, community and environmental groups dedicated to protecting the oceans off NY and NJ. They draw on robust research to formulate positions and find solutions to pollution sources affecting the ocean. COA is evaluating federal, state and local actions, organizing local campaigns and advocating for clean policies.

• Their campaigns are effective. The waters off NJ/NY were once called the “Ocean Dumping Capital of the World”. COA’s work has closed all 8 ocean dumpsites, helped pass powerful new clean water laws, and created a greater public awareness of the ocean and its improved health.

• Their yearly beach sweeps started with 75 people in 1985—last year, over 10K people participated, collecting over 500K items of liter and debris. Almost 8M pieces have been collected since they first started!

Learning

🌊 Oceans: the gift that keeps giving

• The ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen, and absorbs 50x more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere.
• 50-80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean’s surface.
• Its currents store and release heat across the globe, regulating our climate and weather patterns.

And I didn’t even mention the food, medicine, recreation, transportation and economic benefits it provides! Oceans are key to sustaining life on this planet.

🥤 Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement to help people be part of the solution to plastic pollution—for cleaner oceans, streets and communities. It may be August now, but it’s never too late to reduce using single use plastic waste. Take their challenge to get the latest plastic-free ideas.

• Scientists estimate that each year eight million metric tons of plastics make their way into our oceans, the equivalent of 90 aircraft carriers 👀

🗞️ Extra, extra – climate news was bleak this month, but ended a little hopeful?

In case you missed it, the Supreme Court restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to reduce pollution at power plants and July was HOT 🥵 as unprecedented heatwaves hit the UK, Europe and across the U.S. In somewhat better news, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia originally slashed hopes of climate change legislation in the divided senate but then reversed his decision this past week.

If you enjoyed this and want to get involved, you can support the Climate Change cause on PennyLoafer, starting with as little as $5/month. Each month, you’ll support and learn about a different nonprofit fighting the climate crisis.