OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) — Visitors in Ocean City, Maryland will notice something unique about four brand new benches.   The benches, three of which are located on the Boardwalk and the other at Seacrets, are made from recycled cigarette butts.   The benches were created as a result of the Ocean City Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program which was created last year.   The program encourages businesses, visitors and residents to dispose of their cigarette butts and cigar tips properly, while aiming to reduce secondhand smoke. According to Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter and a co-funder of CLPP, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe.   In 2019, CLPP began a campaign where “butt huts” were made available to businesses willing to take a pledge of participation and assist with collecting cigarette waste throughout Ocean City.   The huts were installed in busy areas that routinely saw concentrated cigarette waste. When full the huts were emptied by volunteers and interns and sent to international recycling leader TerraCycle, who recycled the cigarette butts and used the resulting plastic to manufacture the new benches.  

Ocean City's four newest benches come with an environmentally friendly origin story.   The three benches located on the Boardwalk and one at Seacrets are made from recycled cigarette butts as part of the Ocean City Green Team's Cigarette Litter Prevention Program created last year.   “Littering cigarette butts and cigar tips is unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to waterways and wildlife,” said Green Team chairman and Ocean City Councilmember Tony Deluca in a news release.   A campaign started in 2019 that involved making "butt hutts" available to local businesses willing to pledge their help toward collecting cigarette waste in coordination with the program's mission to encourage businesses, visitors and residents to properly dispose of cigarette butts and cigar tips. The huts were installed in highly trafficked areas with concentrated cigarette waste, according to a town news release. The huts were later emptied by volunteers and interns and sent to recycling company TerraCycle to be turned into plastic that could be manufactured into new benches.   The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has received funding from the Worcester County Health Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and Keep America Beautiful, the country's largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter.   The release shows the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is also working with the resort town to create a sustainable butt hut and recycling program to keep cigarette litter out of waterways.   “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program that allow us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky.   Keep America Beautiful provided a $20,000 grant to assist with funding that endeavor along with additional messaging campaigns for residents and visitors.

They look like typical benches, but four newly installed benches in Ocean City are places where you can park your butts on… butts.   The benches are made of recycled cigarette butts.   The Ocean City Green Team Cigarette Litter Prevention Program was created last year to encourage proper disposal of cigarette butts and cigar tips. TerraCycle collected bins of discarded butts and made benches out of them.   Three of the benches are on the Ocean City boardwalk, and one is at Seacrets nightclub.

Visitors in Ocean City will notice something unique about four brand new benches in the resort community. The benches, three of which are located on the Boardwalk and the other at Seacrets, are made from recycled cigarette butts. The benches are the result of the Ocean City Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) which was created last year. The program encourages businesses, visitors, and residents to dispose of their cigarette butts and cigar tips properly, while aiming to reduce secondhand smoke.   “Littering cigarette butts and cigar tips is unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to waterways and wildlife,” commented Green Team chairman and Ocean City Councilmember Tony Deluca. “Not only are cigarettes the most picked up littered item on our beach in Ocean City but 32 percent of litter at storm drains is tobacco products. Litter traveling through storm drains and water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, bays and the ocean. The Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, along with decades of coordinated beach clean-ups, aim to eliminate cigarette litter and these benches are a great result of our community’s efforts to keep our beaches clean.”   According to Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter and a co-funder of CLPP, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe. In addition to their contributions to the program, grant funding for the CLPP was provided by Worcester County Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).   In 2019, CLPP began a campaign where “butt huts” were made available to businesses willing to take a pledge of participation and assist with collecting cigarette waste throughout Ocean City. The huts were installed in highly trafficked areas that routinely saw concentrated cigarette waste. When full the huts were emptied by volunteers and interns and sent to international recycling leader TerraCycle, who recycled the cigarette butts and used the resulting plastic to manufacture the new benches.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program that allow us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations.”   Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) is working with the Town of Ocean City to create a sustainable butt hut and recycling program to keep cigarette litter out of our waterways. KAB has awarded an additional $20,000 grant in funding that will assist with this as well as add additional messaging campaigns to both residents and visitor alike.  

For more information, visit https://oceancitymd.gov. Image: Town of Ocean City, MD

OCEAN CITY — A handful of benches made from recycled cigarette butts collected through an innovative program established last year are now in place around the resort area.   Last year, the Coastal Resources Legislative Committee, or Green Team, in cooperation with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, the Worcester County Health Department and the private sector, embarked on a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) aimed at reducing the tremendous amount of cigarette butt and other tobacco product waste littering the resort area. The program was developed by the MCBP and the Green Team after it was determined the majority of the little collected through the Adopt Your Beach and Adopt Your Street initiatives was comprised of cigarette butts.   As a result, the partners developed a cigarette Butt Hut program with receptacles installed in and around the resort area on public property and, to some degree, private sector businesses. Many of the butt huts were installed near the entry ramps to the Boardwalk, which saw an inordinate amount of cigarette butt littering.   Throughout the year, the butt huts were emptied and the cigarette butts were sent to recycling giant TerraCycle, which, in turn, converted the waste to a sustainable hard plastic. TerraCycle then used the plastic created from the recycled cigarette butts to create attractive, durable benches. Four of the benches have now been installed including three on the Boardwalk and one at Seacrets.   “Littering cigarette butts and cigar tips is unsightly, costly to clean up and harmful to waterways and wildlife,” said Ocean City Councilman and Green Team chair Tony DeLuca. “Not only are cigarettes the most picked-up littered item on our beach in Ocean City, but 32% of litter at storm drains is tobacco products. Litter traveling through storm drains and water systems ends up in local streams, rivers, bays and the ocean. The Green Team’s cigarette litter prevention program, along with decades of coordinated beach clean-ups, aims to eliminate cigarette butt litter and these benches are a great result of our community’s efforts to keep our beaches clean.”   According to Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter and co-founder of the CLPP, cigarette butts remain the most-littered item in the U.S. and around the world. In addition to the Keep America Beautiful contribution to the CLPP, grant funding for the local program was provided by the Worcester County Health Department and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For its part, TerraCyle was pleased to partner with the MCBP and the Green Team on the project.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program that allow us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations.”   The MCBP is working with the town of Ocean City to create a sustainable butt hut and recycling program to keep cigarette little out of local waterways. Keep America Beautiful has awarded an additional $20,000 in grant funding to assist with that effort along with additional messaging campaigns for residents and visitors alike.

OCEAN CITY, Md.- Visitors to Ocean City will notice something different about four brand new benches in the resort town.   Maryland Coastal Bays Program said in a release that the benches, three of which are located on the Boardwalk and the other at Seacrets, are made from recycled cigarette butts.  The benches are the result of the Ocean City Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, which was created last year. The program encourages businesses, visitors, and residents to dispose of their cigarette butts and cigar tips properly, while aiming to reduce secondhand smoke.   “Littering cigarette butts and cigar tips is unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to waterways and wildlife,” said Green Team chairman and Ocean City Councilmember Tony Deluca. “Not only are cigarettes the most picked up littered item on our beach in Ocean City but 32 percent of litter at storm drains is tobacco products. Litter traveling through storm drains and water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, bays and the ocean. The Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, along with decades of coordinated beach clean-ups, aim to eliminate cigarette litter and these benches are a great result of our community’s efforts to keep our beaches clean.”   According to Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter and a co-funder of CLPP, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe. In addition to their contributions to the program, grant funding for the CLPP was provided by Worcester County Health Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).   In 2019, CLPP began a campaign where “butt huts” were made available to businesses willing to take a pledge of participation and assist with collecting cigarette waste throughout Ocean City. The huts were installed in highly trafficked areas that routinely saw concentrated cigarette waste. When full the huts were emptied by volunteers and interns and sent to international recycling leader TerraCycle, who recycled the cigarette butts and used the resulting plastic to manufacture the new benches.   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program that allow us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations.”   Maryland Coastal Bays Program is working with the Town of Ocean City to create a sustainable butt hut and recycling program to keep cigarette litter out of our waterways. KAB has awarded an additional $20,000 grant in funding that will assist with this as well as add additional messaging campaigns to both residents and visitor alike.   For more information on the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, or the Ocean City Green Team’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, contact Sandi Smith at sandis@mdcoastalbays.org.  

After roughly one and a half years, Ocean City residents and guests finally may put their butts on butts, after the Ocean City Green Team received and installed four benches made out of recycled cigarette filters on the Boardwalk and at a local bar. “We are all very excited to finally have the benches on the Boardwalk,” said Sandi Smith, Maryland Coastal Bays Program Development and Marketing coordinator.   Created by TerraCycle, a private recycling company based in Trenton, New Jersey, the benches are the byproduct of hundreds of thousands of cigarette butts collected from Ocean City’s beach.   Beginning last spring, the team, via Ocean City Department of Public Works staff, installed cigarette filter receptacles or “butt huts” all over the Boardwalk, and later throughout the resort on beach entry points.   Cigarette filters are not only the number one litter in Ocean City, but around the world according to nonprofit group Ocean Conservancy, which is based in Washington D.C.   The organization has hosted a beach cleanup event, which is now a global effort, since 1986, and each year the group has found that cigarette butts are the number one item littering coasts — with more than 60 million collected in a little over 30 years.   Cigarette filters are made with cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that takes years to break down in the ocean and leeches toxins into the water.   In regards to turning the litter into a bench, Smith said the team found a Facebook post that featured a supposed cigarette filter bench. “It was the coolest looking bench ever,” Smith said.   The team contacted TerraCycle, and discovered that the company had not created it.   TerraCycle later discovered, on behalf of the team, that the bench was not even made out of cigarette butts, Smith recalled.   Nonetheless, the faux cigarette bench had acted as a catalyst, and the initiative was in full swing.   Traditionally, when TerraCycle produces a bench, it features a small placard that explains its unconventional building material, but Smith said the team wanted to send a stronger message.   Working with local cartoonist Marc Emond, who created the butt recycling program’s seagull mascot and provided his services gratis, and local sign company Sun Signs, the various partners worked for more than a year and a half on the endeavor.   “Marc Emond had come up with the fun little goofy gull that’s on all of the butt huts with the message, ‘Put your butts in here,’ and so we felt like to brand it and market it we wanted that goofy gull on the bench saying, ‘Put your butts on these butts,’ Smith said.   The seagull would draw a visitor’s eye to the bench, which would then, hopefully, heighten his or her curiosity to the messaging.   “The hope and goal was that people would affiliate that crazy gull with the butt huts and the benches and possibly look for the butt huts to put their cigarette butts in,” Smith said.   The four benches were shipped to the city two weeks ago and immediately installed throughout the Boardwalk.   In addition to the main slogan, messaging on the benches include, “This bench is made from recycled cigarette butts that have been kept out of our waterways,” on top, and a 1.800.QUIT.NOW number on the bottom right corner.   The program’s seagull mascot rests on the left side of the sign surrounded by freshly flicked cigarette butts.   Patrons of Seacrets Bar and Grill on 49th Street also will be able to make butt-on-butt contact, as the establishment had been a long and enthusiastic supporter of the project.   “When we originally started this program, they supported it 100 percent and they bought one of the benches — they donated funding for a bench,” Smith said.   With the benches installed and ready for sitting, Smith and the green team can finally check the project off their list, for now.   “I never thought it would take this long,” Smith said. “Even TerraCycle was like, ‘Kudos for the tenacity.’”   For businesses interested in installing a cigarette filter receptacle email Smith at sandis@mdcoastalbays.org.

The World Oceans Day event brought together industry and celebrity voices and some 3,000 registrants. 6/10/2020 7:38:00 PM     The World Oceans Day event brought together industry and celebrity voices and some 3,000 registrants.   The U.N. and Oceanic Global held its first virtual event, bringing together industry and celebrity voices and some 3,000 registrants.   Some 3,000 people RSVP’d, with more likely to have tuned in worldwide, said Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global. Fashion brands like Everest Isles and Solid and Striped partnered with Oceanic Global, as have others since its inception in 2015. The Oceanic Global Foundation emerged following the foundation’s inaugural ocean festival “Oceanic x Ibiza.”   The 2020 theme, titled “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean,” arrives during a time of heightened tensions in the U.S. and elsewhere, as the Black Lives Matter movement sweeps across the globe with ongoing peaceful protests. Almost on cue for visualizing the urgency demanded by environmental groups, a week prior Russia declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of diesel spilled from a power plant in the city of Norilsk, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean. Melting permafrost was cited as the culprit — indicative of the effects of global warming in the region.   All things considered, d’Auriol is focused on collective action today. She quoted the poet Audre Lorde: “‘There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives,”’ adding, “In that same spirit, the work we do in the ocean and environmental space is inextricably linked with human rights, public health, and fighting against racial injustice.”   View Gallery Related Gallery Black Lives Matter: Messages from the New York City Protests. Concern for the environment is all-encompassing, but marginalized groups (African American and Latinx people) tend to be the “most concerned” about climate change, as they are often the most vulnerable and exposed to its effects, according to a study conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.   D’Auriol also pointed to a recent Washington Post op-ed by Dr. Ayana Johnson, a scientific adviser to Oceanic Global, marine biologist and policy expert, as further explanation of the interconnectedness of such sustainability issues. View this post on Instagram There are ~23 million black Americans who are *already* deeply concerned about the #ClimateCrisis. (MILLION!) But how can we expect Black people to effectively lead their communities on the existential treat of climate when faced with the existential threat of racism? My latest for @washingtonpost, connecting the dots on all we are dangerously squandering. Link in bio and bit.ly/WaPoClimateBLM. Thoughts and prayers. Love and light. Those won’t solve racism or climate change. So what are you going to DO? #BlackLivesMatter 

The U.N. and Oceanic Global held its first virtual event, bringing together industry and celebrity voices and some 3,000 registrants.

By Kaley Roshitsh on June 10, 2020 The United Nations held its first virtual World Oceans Day event on Monday, partnering with nonprofit Oceanic Global as a production partner, making the live event free to attend globally.   Some 3,000 people RSVP’d, with more likely to have tuned in worldwide, said Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global. Fashion brands like Everest Isles and Solid and Striped partnered with Oceanic Global, as have others since its inception in 2015. The Oceanic Global Foundation emerged following the foundation’s inaugural ocean festival “Oceanic x Ibiza.”   The 2020 theme, titled “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean,” arrives during a time of heightened tensions in the U.S. and elsewhere, as the Black Lives Matter movement sweeps across the globe with ongoing peaceful protests. Almost on cue for visualizing the urgency demanded by environmental groups, a week prior Russia declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of diesel spilled from a power plant in the city of Norilsk, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean. Melting permafrost was cited as the culprit — indicative of the effects of global warming in the region.   All things considered, d’Auriol is focused on collective action today. She quoted the poet Audre Lorde: “‘There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives,”’ adding, “In that same spirit, the work we do in the ocean and environmental space is inextricably linked with human rights, public health, and fighting against racial injustice.”   Concern for the environment is all-encompassing, but marginalized groups (African American and Latinx people) tend to be the “most concerned” about climate change, as they are often the most vulnerable and exposed to its effects, according to a study conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.   D’Auriol also pointed to a recent Washington Post op-ed by Dr. Ayana Johnson, a scientific adviser to Oceanic Global, marine biologist and policy expert, as further explanation of the interconnectedness of such sustainability issues. This year’s virtual event convened cross-industry stakeholders including model Cara Delevingne, singer and song-writer Ellie Goulding, environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, TerraCycle founder and chief executive officer Tom Szaky, and marine conservationist Gayatri Reksodihardjo, among others.   “We cannot allow a slip back to so-called business as usual,” said Goulding, championing the importance of voting. “Please speak up and stand up for the ocean and nature…[Sic]. There will never be another time like this.”   There was an industry-focused panel on the blue economy, which is centered around the sustainable use of ocean resources for equitable economic and social development, which was led by Scientific American’s editor in chief Curtis Brainard.   The blue economy includes fisheries, renewable energy, climate change, waste management, maritime transport and tourism, as defined by the World Bank.   America’s marine economy, including goods and services, contributed about $373 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2018, according to June data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.   And globally, fish is a primary source of animal protein for one billion people in the world, as per the World Health Organization. Dr. Melissa Garren, founder and ceo of Working Ocean Strategies, spoke of the triple bottom line including people, planet and profit and how technology can assist the goals of the many small-scale fisheries, increasingly where women play an important role.   “There is an incredible amount of opportunity in the private sector space to make a sustainable impact,” said Garren. It boils down to, again, transparency and accountability.   Szaky spoke of how TerraCycle evolves the circular economy through waste management, even taking on the burden of wasted diapers through its partnership with Dyper, as well as collecting cigarette waste in special receptacles.   “The biggest lesson we’ve learned, especially with engaging with the for-profit sector, which for us would be brands, retailers, etc. — it’s not [framed] as much about solving the problem, but how can [brands] win by doing that. The greater the funding will be and the greater the consistency will be — whether they care about sustainability or not,” said Szaky.   Already, COVID-19 is causing major global disruptions to many industries and not just the maritime and coastal sectors, but also metal and mineral mining that would be needed to build offshore renewable energy. As the World Bank noted in its May report, more ambitious climate targets call for more minerals needed for a clean energy transition — or some three billion tons worth of minerals and metals.   As past events drew awareness to issues like plastic pollution, coral reef bleaching, and overfishing, among others, this year’s event urged individual attendees to specific actions like registering to vote, volunteering in one’s community and reducing plastic consumption.   Some scientists like Dr. Johnson even called for an outright reframing of the ocean from victim to “hero,” emphasizing solutions in regenerative ocean farming, algae biofuel and offshore renewable energy in nothing short of a “Blue New Deal.”   While no solution applied to fashion specifically, Szaky mentioned how “ocean plastic awareness has skyrocketed over the past few years,” highlighting heightened consumer awareness and collaborative campaigns with institutions like Parley for the Oceans, which has worked with brands such as Adidas and Stella McCartney to recycle marine plastic into a more sustainable polyester.   But when it comes to recycled polyester, it doesn’t matter if it came from recycled plastic bottles or fishing nets, the material’s impact is a more immediate marketing boost to brands than a permanent waste solution — after accounting for microfibers and lack of scale recycling solutions. “Until we can choose to prioritize climate solutions, sustainable practices, and building the regenerative systems that we need to see for our Earth to heal,” natural disasters and tragedies like the recent oil spill [in Russia] will continue to take place, according to d’Auriol. As the event showed, stakeholders across sectors will have to do more to keep afloat in a tumultuous world where global sea levels continue to rise.

The United Nations held its first virtual World Oceans Day event on Monday, partnering with nonprofit Oceanic Global as a production partner, making the live event free to attend globally.   Some 3,000 people RSVP’d, with more likely to have tuned in worldwide, said Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global. Fashion brands like Everest Isles and Solid and Striped partnered with Oceanic Global, as have others since its inception in 2015. The Oceanic Global Foundation emerged following the foundation’s inaugural ocean festival “Oceanic x Ibiza.”   The 2020 theme, titled “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean,” arrives during a time of heightened tensions in the U.S. and elsewhere, as the Black Lives Matter movement sweeps across the globe with ongoing peaceful protests. Almost on cue for visualizing the urgency demanded by environmental groups, a week prior Russia declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tons of diesel spilled from a power plant in the city of Norilsk, Russia, into the Arctic Ocean. Melting permafrost was cited as the culprit — indicative of the effects of global warming in the region.   All things considered, d’Auriol is focused on collective action today. She quoted the poet Audre Lorde: “‘There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives,”’ adding, “In that same spirit, the work we do in the ocean and environmental space is inextricably linked with human rights, public health, and fighting against racial injustice.”   Concern for the environment is all-encompassing, but marginalized groups (African American and Latinx people) tend to be the “most concerned” about climate change, as they are often the most vulnerable and exposed to its effects, according to a study conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.   D’Auriol also pointed to a recent Washington Post op-ed by Dr. Ayana Johnson, a scientific adviser to Oceanic Global, marine biologist and policy expert, as further explanation of the interconnectedness of such sustainability issues. This year’s virtual event convened cross-industry stakeholders including model Cara Delevingne, singer and song-writer Ellie Goulding, environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, TerraCycle founder and chief executive officer Tom Szaky, and marine conservationist Gayatri Reksodihardjo, among others.   “We cannot allow a slip back to so-called business as usual,” said Goulding, championing the importance of voting. “Please speak up and stand up for the ocean and nature…[Sic]. There will never be another time like this.”   There was an industry-focused panel on the blue economy, which is centered around the sustainable use of ocean resources for equitable economic and social development, which was led by Scientific American’s editor in chief Curtis Brainard.   The blue economy includes fisheries, renewable energy, climate change, waste management, maritime transport and tourism, as defined by the World Bank.   America’s marine economy, including goods and services, contributed about $373 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2018, according to June data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.   And globally, fish is a primary source of animal protein for one billion people in the world, as per the World Health Organization. Dr. Melissa Garren, founder and ceo of Working Ocean Strategies, spoke of the triple bottom line including people, planet and profit and how technology can assist the goals of the many small-scale fisheries, increasingly where women play an important role.   “There is an incredible amount of opportunity in the private sector space to make a sustainable impact,” said Garren. It boils down to, again, transparency and accountability.   Szaky spoke of how TerraCycle evolves the circular economy through waste management, even taking on the burden of wasted diapers through its partnership with Dyper, as well as collecting cigarette waste in special receptacles.   “The biggest lesson we’ve learned, especially with engaging with the for-profit sector, which for us would be brands, retailers, etc. — it’s not [framed] as much about solving the problem, but how can [brands] win by doing that. The greater the funding will be and the greater the consistency will be — whether they care about sustainability or not,” said Szaky.   Already, COVID-19 is causing major global disruptions to many industries and not just the maritime and coastal sectors, but also metal and mineral mining that would be needed to build offshore renewable energy. As the World Bank noted in its May report, more ambitious climate targets call for more minerals needed for a clean energy transition — or some three billion tons worth of minerals and metals.   As past events drew awareness to issues like plastic pollution, coral reef bleaching, and overfishing, among others, this year’s event urged individual attendees to specific actions like registering to vote, volunteering in one’s community and reducing plastic consumption.   Some scientists like Johnson even called for an outright reframing of the ocean from victim to “hero,” emphasizing solutions in regenerative ocean farming, algae biofuel and offshore renewable energy in nothing short of a “Blue New Deal.”   While no solution applied to fashion specifically, Szaky mentioned how “ocean plastic awareness has skyrocketed over the past few years,” highlighting heightened consumer awareness and collaborative campaigns with institutions like Parley for the Oceans, which has worked with brands such as Adidas and Stella McCartney to recycle marine plastic into a more sustainable polyester.   But when it comes to recycled polyester, it doesn’t matter if it came from recycled plastic bottles or fishing nets, the material’s impact is a more immediate marketing boost to brands than a permanent waste solution — after accounting for microfibers and lack of scale recycling solutions. “Until we can choose to prioritize climate solutions, sustainable practices, and building the regenerative systems that we need to see for our Earth to heal,” natural disasters and tragedies like the recent oil spill [in Russia] will continue to take place, according to d’Auriol. As the event showed, stakeholders across sectors will have to do more to keep afloat in a tumultuous world where global sea levels continue to rise.