Project AWARE

As SCUBA divers ourselves, we have a personal interest in the long-term health of our oceans and sea critters. This is why we chose Project AWARE as our not-for-profit partner.

"Project AWARE connects the passion for ocean adventure with the purpose of marine conservation" is how Project AWARE states their mission. Their current focus is on Clean Ocean and Healthy Ocean programs, including organizing SCUBA divers to regularly dive specific sites, pick up trash, and record the total weight of the debris collected along with item descriptions. 

Project AWARE image

So far, they have created the most comprehensive data set regarding marine debris in the world, including information on nearly 6,000 animal rescues or casualties, and certified more than 1,600 PADI Dive Instructors to teach the Dive Against Debris specialty, passing along actionable knowledge to students.

As of March 2018, Project AWARE cited the following as the top ten trash items (by count of individual pieces) found in the ocean.

  1. Plastic fishing line (145,063)
  2. Plastic fragments (91,222)
  3. Glass bottles (58,725)
  4. Plastic bottles (58,073)
  5. Plastic food wrappers (55,425)
  6. Aluminum cans (53,388)
  7. Plastic grocery bags (46,137)
  8. Metal fishing sinkers, lures, and hooks (35,018)
  9. Plastic cutlery (34,245)
  10. Glass and ceramic fragments (26,991)

Reusable food wrap like Ideal Wrap is an easy and very effective way to cut down on household trash from single-use plastics like cling wrap and baggies that can (and inevitability do) make their way into our oceans. While we are privileged in the United States to enjoy convenient and effective trash service, even the best intentions can't ensure every piece of trash makes it to the proper destination, so keeping it out of the bin in the first place is a great start!

We offer the Sea Turtles Edition of our wrap as a way to raise funds for Project AWARE at a local level, by hosting our own Dive Against Debris events in central Florida. Hundreds of loggerhead sea turtles return to the beaches of Pinellas County, here where Ideal Wrap is located, every year to nest. It is important for our community to keep these waters free of debris in order to promote the health of their species.

We invite you to watch this short video from Project AWARE about how you can help protect our precious ocean resource.

 

For more information about anything mentioned here, please email Emily at emily@idealwrap.com.