Saving The World's Oceans

When two-thirds of the Earth is covered in oceans, which contain most of the life on the planet, you’d think humans would take better care of our waterways. Unfortunately, 11 million metric tons of plastics enter our oceans each year, on top of the estimated 200 million tons that already flow through the water, according to Ocean Conservatory data.

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The advocacy organization Oceana is working diligently to protect and restore the world’s oceans. The organization is the largest one in the world dedicated solely to Ocean conservation. Oceana aims to rebuild biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch.

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With more than 275 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are shedding astonishing light on problems and solutions with regard to ocean pollution and conservation.

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Here’s a recent example: a new report released on Nov. 14 shows that just a 10-percentage point increase in reusable beverage packaging by 2030 could eliminate over 1 trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups and prevent up to 153 billion of these containers from entering our world’s oceans and waterways.

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Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, said it’s beyond time for companies and governments to “stop betting on the wrong horse.”

“We’ve estimated that a stack of the single-use plastic packaging used by the beverage sector in 2022 alone could reach all the way to *the sun* and back,” he said in a release. “Adding recycled content to bottles and cups won’t topple this single-use plastic tower. The way to really make a difference is to replace single-use plastic with reusable packaging.”

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Oceana continues to release studies, hold fundraisers and advocate for a clean ocean in a variety of ways. The group found that most boats are speeding through slow zones designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and that Ocean-based climate solutions can deliver nearly half of emissions reductions needed to prevent climate catastrophe;

“The climate crisis is here, affecting all of us, and it’s getting worse,” said Oceana Chief Scientist Dr. Kathryn Matthews in a release. “As a scientist, it’s hard to stomach inaction, especially when we have some obvious solutions at hand. If world leaders are serious about tackling catastrophic climate change, the ocean is a clear place to start.”

This work is why Oceana was selected as the October recipient of the Atlantic Cares program donation given monthly by Atlantic Logistics. Oceana was chosen by Logistics Specialist Tali Hooper.

"I love Oceana’s work for multiple reasons," said Hooper. "They work hard to provide help for the ocean and people that are affected by the state of the ocean. I admire their Save the Ocean, Feed the World campaign. They help protect from overfishing and reduce bycatch to increase ocean biodiversity. As someone who loves the ocean and fish, I admire companies that help educate people and help make a difference in the world."

Oceana was founded in 2001 by a group of leading foundations after a 1999 study discovered that less than 0.5% of all resources spent by environmental nonprofit groups in the United States went to ocean advocacy. Since then, the organization has grown to protect nearly 4 million square miles of ocean.

The organization has many campaigns running concurrently, including initiates for plastic pollution, transparency, protecting ocean species, climate and energy, ocean habitat, overfishing and more.

Oceana’s support comes from foundations, organizations and people in more than 150 countries. Last year, Oceana received about $46 million in donations, most of which was time- or program-restricted support.

‍Click here for more information about Oceana. Donations can be made online in a variety of ways.

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ABOUT ATLANTIC LOGISTICS

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Atlantic Logistics provides expedited truckload and partial service on flatbeds, stepdecks, lowbeds, vans, and reefers throughout the United States and Canada. Moving over-dimensional/over-weight freight with specialized equipment, Atlantic Logistics is an approved Department of Defense and General Services Administration broker, qualify as a woman-owned business, and are members of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association (TMSA), and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA).

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