OFF-Azure, Author at Ocean Family Foundation

The Round Britain eRIB team are making great progress

Jul 31, 2024 | News, Round Britain eRIB

The Round Britain eRIB team are making great progress, having now become the first electric boat to round Land’s End and cross the Irish Sea. With almost half the journey under their belts the team, who started on July 13th from Lyme Regis in Dorset, are currently predicting a mid August return. The worst of the weather off the coast of South West Wales caught Harry and his electric rib Electra well prepared with dry suits and thermal base layers provided by clothing sponsor GILL. Having spotted plenty of dolphins and seals, they’re now on the look out for Orca, recently seen near Buckie on the North East coast of Scotland. The next stage of the journey will provide a glorious backdrop as we turn South at Fraserburgh and begin the long run home. Good luck Harry! Watch the live tracker here.

Making the blues count

Jul 31, 2024 | News, Oceans Without Borders

Making the blues count; the four word answer to the question “What is the role of an Oceans Without Borders Community & Conservation ranger?”. These remarkable men and women, all drawn from local island and coastal communities in Zanzibar (Mnemba Island) and Mozambique (Benguerra Island), bring a wealth of skillsets to the little-known world of a marine ranger. As their community-and-conservation title directly references, they are not only educators, mentors and conservation ambassadors within their communities, but are also key to our project operations across the seascapes in which we operate. Click HERE to learn more.

What keeps Trash Hero volunteers organising regular cleanups year round?

Jul 31, 2024 | News, Trash Hero

What keeps Trash Hero volunteers organising regular cleanups year round? Perhaps the secret lies in their regular Trash Hero Family Meetings. Here, the chapter teams can network, share and better understand the “why” behind our actions. It’s an intense and often deep experience that takes place over 3 days, covering:
– Knowledge building: workshops and presentations on the issues surrounding plastic pollution.
– Skill strengthening: building capacity for community leadership.
– Boosting motivation: creating positive energy and inspiration through sharing and connecting with others.
As one volunteer from Thailand put it: “There is no other seminar as worthwhile to the soul and to the world“. Read more about it HERE.

The last supersite of the Tara Europa/TREC expedition ended in Athens a week ago

Jul 31, 2024 | News, The Tara Ocean Foundation

The last supersite of the Tara Europa/TREC expedition ended in Athens a week ago. The Tara schooner opened its doors to visitors one last time, offering awareness-raising workshops and a scientific conference at the Eugenides Foundation. The various partners in this expedition met at the Niarchos Foundation in the presence many, including:
👉Theodoros Skylakakis, Minister of Environment and Energy, representative of the President of the Greek Government
👉Petros Varelidis, Secretary General of Natural Environment and Waters
👉Laurence Auer, French Ambassador to Greece
This last stop marks the end of the Tara Europa/TREC expedition, and above all the beginning of the research and analysis phase for the 23,000 marine samples and 70,000 samples on land.

This month The Scottish Costal Clean Up team ventured to the Isle of Lewis

Jul 31, 2024 | News, The Scottish Coastal Clean Up

This month The Scottish Costal Clean Up team ventured to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Despite its remote location and being known for its idyllic beaches, Lewis, like many coastal areas around Scotland is unfortunately also plagued by huge amounts of plastic pollution washing in onto its shores. The team mainly focused their beach cleaning to a stretch of coastline along the west coast and together with members of the Breanais community, were able to remove around 3 tonnes of marine litter. Many items cleared were not local, including large numbers of drink bottles from multiple countries!

Portocolom is one of the emblematic natural spaces that guards the island

Jul 31, 2024 | Clean Wave Foundation, News

Portocolom is one of the emblematic natural spaces that guards the island. The state of posidonia in the bay is bad, therefore, the City Council of Felanitx has signed a collaboration agreement with the Cleanwave Foundation to promote a project that seeks over the next three years to stop and reverse the degradation of forests and underwater meadows. The coordinator of the MedGardens project of the Cleanwave Foundation, José Escaño, examined of the state of posidonia in Portocolom. Its evolution is negative. Therefore, this initiative seeks to stop this negative trend by applying, with the collaboration of the community, measures for its conservation or restoration. This innovative project seeks to improve marine habitats and generate knowledge to restore shallow bays, crucial for the sustainable development of coastal communities. Read more here.

IFAW’s marine mammal rescue team faced their largest challenge yet

Jul 31, 2024 | IFAW, News

IFAW‘s marine mammal rescue team faced their largest challenge yet on June 28th, responding to a massive dolphin stranding off Cape Cod. What initially began as a report of 10 dolphins quickly escalated to over 125 stranded in Wellfleet’s Herring River ‘Gut’. Despite the daunting numbers, the team, supported by 70 volunteers and several organisations, tirelessly worked to save as many dolphins as possible. Efforts continued as dolphins were guided out of shallow waters and monitored for their safety. Tragically, some dolphins could not be saved, but many were successfully returned to the open sea. The team’s dedication, coupled with community support, underscores IFAW’s commitment to marine life conservation.

Save the Med hosts an engaging & educational workshop with the children

Jul 31, 2024 | News, Save the Med

Recently, Save the Med had the pleasure of hosting an engaging and educational workshop with the children from the Escola del Mar, in collaboration with the Club de Vela del Port d’Andratx. The students participated in a dynamic workshop focusing on the diverse marine species native to the Balearic waters. They learned about the unique flora and fauna that inhabit this special region, as well as the significance of Sa Dragonera as a MPA. The workshop also included an immersive, hands-on experience where the students could directly observe the marine environment. This practical exploration was designed to foster a deeper connection with nature, emphasizing the importance of protecting our oceans and their inhabitants.

Worldrise is opening applications for 3 new professional roles

Jul 31, 2024 | News, Worldrise

To continue effectively conserving the Italian seas, Worldrise is opening applications for 3 new professional roles and is accepting spontaneous applications, enriching the team with people who believe in their mission and are excited to support the wave of change! Applications are open until August 31, 2024. The NGO is seeking a Fundraising Manager, a Project Manager for Worldrise’s biodiversity projects, and an Operations, Admin & Finance Manager. Discover all the details about these opportunities at this link and apply!

Final Straw Foundation’s innovative ‘Borrow Bag’ project

Jul 31, 2024 | Final Straw Foundation, News

Final Straw Foundation‘s innovative ‘Borrow Bag’ project, running since 2019, has made great progress over the last year. Borrow Bags are handy tote bags, sewn by volunteers, from fabric destined for landfill or other waste streams. They’re donated to local shops to give out instead of plastic bags for customers to borrow and bring back to any participating shop. This scheme has already prevented between 25,000 – 125,000 plastic bags from entering circulation and diverted over 250 Kg of fabric from landfill in the Solent area and beyond, with the help of over 250 amazing volunteers. The team are offering two free workshops in August for volunteers to come and learn how to make Borrow Bags. You can find out more about the workshops here. If you are unable to attend but would still like to volunteer by making Borrow Bags, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!