Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) activates young people, develops and implements innovative solutions, and mobilizes an ocean workforce to restore the health of the ocean in our lifetime.
Since founded by Daniela Fernandez in 2014, SOA has built the world’s largest network of young ocean leaders and supported innovative startups, nonprofits, and grassroots campaigns dedicated to solving the greatest threats facing our planet.
Two years ago at the World Economic Forum, we shared our vision with the world, and Salesforce Chair and Co-CEO Marc Benioff challenged us to accelerate 100 solutions by 2021.
Today, SOA is proud to announce that as of 2021, we have more than doubled our initial goal: we have accelerated 222 startups, nonprofits, and grassroots initiatives all over the world, each dedicated to restoring and sustaining the health of our ocean.
The Ocean Solutions Accelerator helps entrepreneurs launch for-profit ocean solutions for a sustainable blue economy by providing funding, mentorship, and other critical resources to scale their ventures and amplify their impact.
The Ocean Leadership Program (OLP) holistically supports over 6,000 global participants with the resources and networks they need to build ocean-healing solutions and to reach their full potential as ocean leaders. The OLP awards Microgrants of up to $15,000 USD to outstanding youth leaders to execute and scale their projects, and provides 72 youth-led Hubs with leadership and programmatic support.
Together, these 222 solutions for ocean restoration have touched tens of thousands of lives, restored critical marine ecosystems worldwide, invented sustainable alternatives to plastics, pioneered cutting-edge technology to illuminate the mysteries of our deepest seas and much, much more.
Each startup, nonprofit, and grassroots initiative has focused its efforts across five key areas of ocean health impact.
Learn more, and explore all 222 solutions below.
IMPACT:
15,540 metric tons of CO2 reduced, avoided, or sequestered
The fight to address climate change cannot be separated from the drive to support solutions that address carbon removal and blue carbon ecosystem development. In 2020, 31.5 gigatons of carbon (CO2) were emitted globally, with 83% of the carbon cycle circulating through the ocean. Certain marine and coastal ecosystems—like tidal marshes, mangroves, and seagrass meadows—play a critical role in this cycle by sequestering and storing what’s then known as “blue carbon.”
These ecosystems are critical to climate change mitigation. Mangroves and salt marshes, for example, remove carbon from the atmosphere at a rate 10 times greater and store five times more carbon per acre than tropical forests.
IMPACT:
1,755 metric tons of solid waste removed, upcycled, or avoided
Each year, only 9% of plastic produced ends up recycled—which results in 10 million tons of plastic dumped into our oceans every year. That’s nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. These pollutants are responsible for choking marine life, destroying both marine and coastal ecosystems, and polluting our own food sources.
Today, the average person ingests over 70,000 microplastics each year (that’s 100 pieces over the course of a single meal). The solutions in this category work to reduce and eliminate items like single-use plastics. Their work in turn helps to build the circular economy, which promotes the extension of product lifecycles and aims to decrease solid waste and pollution.
IMPACT:
89,128 square meters of blue carbon ecosystems protected or restored
In addition to sustaining marine life and the communities that depend on it, coastal ecosystems account for approximately half of the total carbon sequestered in ocean sediments. These may include coral reefs, mangrove forests, kelp forests, wetlands, and seagrass beds. Together, they serve as nurseries for marine organisms and as critical areas of blue carbon capture.
However, many marine ecosystems are experiencing degradation and destruction by human activities, which not only leads to species depletion, but also releases the critically stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Solutions in this category have monitored 150,000 kilometers of coastline for climate change adaptation planning, detected 67,000 whales to avoid marine collisions, produced 150+ ocean literacy reports and media projects, hosted 260 events with more than 30,000 youth participants, and much more.
More than 80% of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. In the United States, only 35% of the ocean and coastal waters have been mapped with modern methods. In order to inform policy decisions that ensure marine and coastal ecosystem sustainability—and to empower humans worldwide to take local action to save the ocean—we need reliable data sources, mapping, and consistent analysis.
Some projects in the category of ocean literacy, data, and research focus on data collection and analysis, while other initiatives are dedicated to fostering knowledge-sharing and creating local opportunities for action. All play critical roles in leveraging knowledge and technical skills to catalyze lasting ocean impact.
Every year, 30% of commercial fish stocks are overfished, while harmful fishing practices cause over 38 million tons of bycatch (the incidental capture of a non-target species). As a result, this institutionalized overfishing has contributed to a marked decrease in recorded marine species over the last 40 years.
Sustainable protein, fisheries, and aquaculture solutions address the challenge of sustainably feeding the world's growing human population without the continued exploitation of marine habitats and species.
SOA’s solutions in this area are varied, with many developing new, innovative systems of impact tracking. One Microgrant project is developing a supply chain around selling “gourmet” sea urchins in order to quell California’s invasive purple sea urchin population explosion. Another is piloting a CSA-style delivery service in the Philippines to support seasonal, sustainably caught seafood. Our Accelerator alumni are hard at work in this area as well, developing plant-based alternatives to seafood (think kelp burgers, kelp jerky, and cell-cultured tuna), net sensors to reduce bycatch, deepwater solar irrigation for seaweed farming, and more.
Microgrant
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Seychelles
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Jeremy Raguain
In December 2020, young leaders in the Seychelles held a public panel discussion with representatives from government and civil society presenting the issue of deep seabed mining and discussing the possibilities and implications of mining. This dialogue fit into the Seychelles' current discussions on the marine spatial plan and realisation of its blue economy.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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USA
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Alexandra Doudera
Saltwater Classroom is a nonprofit that runs weeklong workshops focused on ocean science and conservation for young students. Through SOA support, Saltwater Classroom has pivoted our in-person programming to the virtual world, creating a unique opportunity for students across the world to connect with one another and learn from ocean experts. In November, Saltwater Classroom ran a three week virtual workshop that featured live sessions, encouraged hands-on activities, and fostered creative inquiry amongst its participants.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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Colombia
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Maria Angelica Barcasnegras Rodriguez
This project involves training 10 students over the course of 5 months on ocean conservation in Colombia. Following training, the group will conduct local cleanups around Barranquilla.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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France
Carbon (CO2) Reduction & Blue Carbon
Louise Delion
The Phœnix Expedition made a groundbreaking journey from France to California in order to document and promote local solutions to regenerate marine ecosystems with a focus on Blue Carbon and CO2 emissions avoidance. Ahead of the voyage, they created educational material to raise awareness around Blue Carbon, and 10% of all funds received will go towards restoration of coastal habitats.
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Startup
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USA
Pollution Reduction & the Circular Economy
Peter Wang Hjemdahl, Aditya Siroya, & Svanika Balasubramanian
rePurpose Global is the world's leading Plastic Action Platform dedicated to reducing waste, reviving lives, and restoring nature's balance. Through its pioneering ecosystem of solutions that span across advisory, action, and advocacy, the organization helps people and companies calculate, reduce, and offset their plastic footprint while empowering grassroots innovators on the cutting edge of solving for the planet's future.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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Kenya
Ecosystem Preservation & Restoration
Neville Agesa
This project is the continuation of a Sea Turtle Monitoring Program in the South Coast of Kenya. The Msambweni turtle watch Program’s objectives are to implement nest management plans, minimize nest predation, and build a Sea Turtle Learning Community to support conservation of Kenya’s sea turtles.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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Peru
Ecosystem Preservation & Restoration
Daniel Caceres
SOA Peru implemented a number of projects related to supporting fisherfolk in coastal communities: assisting fishermen in achieving sustainability certifications and recording and sharing their stories. Another project will investigate the relationship between copper extraction off the coast of Chile and Peru and the high mortality and disappearance of mollusks.
LEARN MOREMicrogrant
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Indonesia
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Mega Ayu Lestari
This group, in partnership with the indigenous people of Haruku Island, made a documentary about how they are adapting to climate change. SOA funds were geared toward production and time to conduct interviews and film ongoing issues and initiatives in Haruku Island, and also supported a live event on the island to highlight the stories of indigenous women and youth.
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Startup
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United Kingdom
Carbon (CO2) Reduction & Blue Carbon
Phill White & Russell Elfenbein
Cloud Cycle revolutionized the ready-mix industry by digitising concrete and enabling companies to improve concrete quality, reduce operational costs and CO2 emissions. Cloud Cycle has since pivoted their business.
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