Progress and Seven Clean Seas join hands and forces to preserve our oceans and the life living in them
‘Making a positive impact on Mother Earth starts with yourself.’ Wise words Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel is always trying to live by. Finding more and better ways to reduce our footprint. This is why we decided to partner up with Seven Clean Seas. An ocean cleanup organisation with a mission to preserve the marine environment by removing plastics from the seas with innovative infrastructure and technology solutions.
Seven Clean Seas (SCS) was founded in 2018 and since then they were able to retrieve almost 350 000 kg of plastic from the marine environment. Besides removing plastics they also focus on building infrastructures and inventing technology solutions to stop plastics from reaching the ocean.
“Our oceans are the most
important ecosystems
on our Earth”
70% of all ocean plastics enters our oceans via rivers, so SCS came up with a solution: SCS River Plastic Recovery System. A high volume, low cost and scalable solution. It’s an infrastructure being set up in the world’s most polluted rivers to stop the flow of plastics into the ocean. A project highly dependent on funding, but once launched it’s an innovation that will change the world.
PLASTIC POLLUTION = GLOBAL PROBLEM
Plastic pollution is everyone’s problem. It is a global issue born from a lack of infrastructure and a lack of responsible consumption on a local level. This is why Seven Clean Seas focuses on working with local coastal communities to install waste management collection services. This is not only creating jobs and protecting livelihoods in these communities. But most importantly stopping plastic from entering the marine environment.
Seven Clean Seas also focuses on education. Change is a two way street. By working from the ground up they educate and change the behaviour of the people. As well as pointing out the responsibility of companies to change their course. “Because our seas and oceans are the most important ecosystems on our Earth. Together we have to protect the wonderful life that calls them home.”
PLASTIC OFFSET
SCS has committed to recovering over 10 000 000 kilograms of plastic by 2025 from the top seven worst plastic polluted countries in the world. One way to retrieve this amount of plastic is by their plastic offsetting service. Seven Clean Seas has developed the first service where companies and individuals can neutralise their impact they make on the planet and the seas.
“70% of all ocean plastics
enters our oceans via rivers”
Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel is one of the companies that will calculate how much unavoidable plastics are in circulation this summer season. At the end of the summer it will offset this amount of plastic, which means Seven Clean Seas is removing it from the ocean on our behalf. This way Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel will be plastic neutral for the first time in 2022.
CLEAN WAVES
At Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel we love nothing more than being in and by the ocean. Over the last years we started seeing more and more plastics floating beside us while we were catching waves. Walking back home on the beach isn’t possible anymore without stepping on bits of plastic sticking out. This is why we want to fight plastic pollution and to surf clean waves once again. This is why we need your help. How? Simple! For everything you book on top of your stay we donate 1% to Seven Clean Seas to help them stop plastic pollution.
But there is more! This summer Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel will devote time to organise beach clean ups in Moliets-Plage. Do you want to know more about how, what, when and where? Follow @progress_outdoor_surf_hostel on Instagram and stay updated on our future projects.
“Take a garbage bag to the beach
and pick up some
bits and pieces on your walk”
SMALL CHANGES
Do you want to do even more? Amazing! There are so many ways you can preserve the ocean and the marine life living in it. Here’s a few:
- It’s important to protect your skin, but remember that your classic sunscreen damages reefs. And reefs happen to be the regulators for carbon dioxide in our waters. So when shopping for your sunscreen, look for oxybenzone and octinoxate free brands!
- Take a garbage bag to the beach and pick up some bits and pieces on your walk.
- Do you have long hair that needs to be tied up while surfing? Make sure you use hair ties with natural fibers: cotton, rubber, hemp,…
- Have you thought about buying an eco-friendly surfboard , tail pad and wetsuit? This last one, for example, could be made from limestone-based neoprene, recycled tires, and Aquaglue. Or give your buddy’s surfboard and wetsuit a second life!
- Just like sunscreen, most surfboard wax contains petroleum and other shitty chemical compounds. These are not only bad for your own skin and health, but they have a huge impact on marine life. But don’t worry, there are heaps of eco-friendly waxes on the market. Or if you’re feeling adventurous? Make your own wax from beeswax and coconut oil.
- How are you getting to the beach? Do you take the car? Maybe take your bike? Cycling to the beach is definitely a good warming up and the fish will thank you! Have you considered making a surfboard rack for your bike from recycled materials?
- After surfing you are definitely thirsty, so how about getting a reusable water bottle? This year Progress Outdoor Surf Hostel sells custom made bottles at the hostel!
- Have you considered stopping eating fish? Watching Seaspiracy, a Netflix documentary, might help you on your way.
We don’t encourage you to go spending hundreds of euros on new equipment or protection, make huge life changes overnight or throw all of the products you currently have in the bin. Remember, if we all do our little part in preserving our oceans, we are one step closer to saving our beautiful planet!
