2020 Ocean Initiatives season is here! This year, alone or in small group, you can be part of the biggest citizen science event by launching your own Ocean Initiative.
Ocean Initiatives is a flagship program of Surfrider Europe. Over the past 25 years, more than 15,000 clean ups have been organized by volunteers and citizens like you all around Europe!
Volunteers, Surfrider Europe’s first line of defense against marine litter
Citizen waste collections enable Surfrider Europe to gain valuable data on what kinds of waste are most commonly found polluting the beaches and waterways and where to identify pollution hot spots. Every piece of waste collected and recorded by volunteers becomes valuable evidence in the fight to stop marine litter at its source.
For example, in 2019 the European Commission used the data published in the Ocean Initiatives Environmental Report to highlight the problem and pass the Single Use Plastics Directive, a measure that bans the production and sale of the top polluting single-use items.
In 2020, Ocean Initiatives takes another step forward in participatory science
2019 was a historic year with a 60% increase in the number of collections. This year, the association has an even greater need for data. Indeed, due to the health crisis, there has been an unprecedented increase in the use of single-use plastic and the resulting pollution. Surfrider Europe needs your help to stop this great “comeback”.
Take part in the biggest participatory science event by hosting your own Ocean Initiative!
It only takes 1 person, picking up waste in just 1 second, to make a difference. So whether acting by yourself, or in a small, socially responsible group, let’s take to the beaches, the city and the sea to collect, sort and report.
Surfrider Europe invites you to use the Marine Debris Tracker application on your smartphone to participate in our citizen science network. With a simple click, you can log the type and quantity of the waste you find along on your way. This data will be instantly transmitted to the NGO which will use it to influence public decision makers in favor for the protection of the Ocean.
