4Ocean

Imagine yourself on a tropical beach, surrounded by sand and palm trees, listening to the waves crash. Stand up and head toward the water line. walk along the edge of the ocean, letting the waves break on your feet, washing up sand and shells. It’s one of my favorite day dreams.

But now imagine that instead of sand and seashells washing over your feet as you walk along, it’s bits of discarded plastic. Straws, bags, bottles, and wrappers… yuck! All of a sudden it’s not so tranquil and serene to walk in these waters, right?

The amount of plastic that is used, tossed, and ends up in the ocean every year is staggering. This article reports that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. That dream of walking through plastic on the beach may not be so far-fetched.

In fact, this exact thing happened to a couple of friends on a surfing trip to Bali. They noticed the large amount of plastic waste floating in the waters they were surfing in, and watched fishermen struggle to guide their boats through the plastic that had washed up on shore. An idea was born, and they founded 4Ocean.

4Ocean sells bracelets made from recycled materials. They are simple and lightweight, and I love mine!

I get compliments whenever I wear it, which leads to great conversations: Not only is it made of recycled materials (recycled glass beads on string made from recycled plastic bottles), but every bracelet purchased funds the removal of 1 pound of trash from the ocean!

4Ocean has boats in the water every day, cleaning the plastic debris. They also sponsor volunteer beach clean up days, and work to prevent plastic from making it into the ocean in the first place through education and technology.

I recently enrolled in their subscription program. Each month, I will receive a new bracelet and know that another pound of trash has been pulled from the ocean. Blue is their original bracelet color, but each month’s subscription bracelet will be a new color to highlight the monthly cause. This month is a black bracelet, in partnership with Project AWARE to protect sharks. I will keep the colors I love, and pass on others to friends and family as gifts, and to raise awareness.

Plastic Free July is a beautiful thing, and I hope you’re reducing your plastic use (see my previous post for ideas!). But why not go one step further and clean up some of the waste that’s out there? If you live near an ocean, lake, or river, head out with your family or friends and do your own clean up. And for those of you far away from the water, support brands like 4Ocean.

A fun summer bracelet and a more beautiful world for everyone? THAT is a day dream I can get behind.