Ocean Activism Stories
To celebrate Oceans Month, we’re partnering with members in our community to share their ocean activism stories!
Starting your own ocean activism journey might seem overwhelming. For example, how the kelp are you going to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? And get updated on every oceanic policy? And ensure that countries are staying true to their single-use plastic promises?
The good news: You don’t have to. Small steps are the most sustainable way to take action, and they usually end up making the biggest impact. Plus, we don’t need one perfect person saving the ocean; we need a million imperfect people taking the positive actions available to them. Wondering what kind of small actions can lead to a ripple effect of change? Here are some ideas:
Ocean Heroes
The ocean needs a lot of help, but there’s a lot of us. Check out these stories from ocean heroes in our community; if you're looking for ideas on how to take action, we hope these examples spark something for you. You can view the full-length videos on Instagram.
1. Kendra (@intertidalkendy): From marine biologist to Board of Directors for Orca Conservancy
2. Amani (@curly_biologist): Shark scientist & co-founder of Minorities in Shark Science
3. Oriana (@opoindex): Harvests wild kelp to make beautiful ocean art; shares her skills via seaweed workshops across California
3. Michael (@michaelboyyd): Always dives with seals & posts videos about how cute they are
4. Mckenzie (@_mckensea): Marine scientist that educates her social media audience on all things oceanic; the founder of LGBTQ in STEM
5. Andy (@andriana_marine): Shark diver that educates her 2M+ followers on sharks & ocean conservation
6. Jess (@jess_mermaid): PhD student currently studying how different sources of nutrients affect coral’s resilience to bleaching
7. Mylasia (@the.intertidal): Marine biologist that shares her love for tidepooling & its inhabitants via social media
As you can see, there are a million ways to protect our oceans! At 12 Tides, we have our own ocean activist story. Through our kelp chips, we’re able to do (3) pretty cool things for our oceans.
Regenerative Ocean Farming
Our kelp chips are sourced from regenerative ocean farms. These farms reduce ocean acidification, increase marine life abundance, and improve marine life biodiversity. Traditionally, the seafood industry has been extractive; which means that it takes takes takes from the ocean in order to produce food. Regenerative seafood is different; it’s more of a symbiotic, or give & take relationship. Regenerative seafood regenerates us with nutrient-dense food, and regenerates ocean ecosystems by improving living conditions for marine life. We’ve been able to support regenerative ocean farms by sourcing 600,000+lbs of their kelp.
Kelp Forest Restoration
A percentage of every bag sold is donated to kelp forest restoration. If you didn’t know, we’ve lost up to 90% of our kelp forests in CA; which is craaaazy because they’re essential to ocean health. Kelp forests act as a massive carbon sink for our oceans; they absorb carbon 20x faster than land-based forests. They're also home to 1,000+ marine species. To date, we’ve been able to restore 27,000+sqft of kelp forest.
Industrially Compostable Packaging
Our packaging is 100% plastic-free and industrially compostable; however, it’s not perfect. Industrially compostable items still take a long time to break down, but they're better for our planet because they’re sourced from renewable resources such as corn, sugarcare, and wood.
Alternatively, plastic is made from fossil fuels which requires drilling into earth’s surface. As a startup, we hope to set a new standard for businesses everywhere. As of 2023, we’ve averted 50,000+ lbs of plastic waste with our industrially compostable packaging. Learn more here.
Kelp on
As you can see, every little kelp chip makes a difference. Excited to see how all of you kelp lovers take action for our oceans! If you post on social media, don’t forget to tag @12tides #sendkelp so we can see what you’re up to.
