Make a Difference with Ocean Wise

What does the ocean mean to you? For many of us it is a destination, a place to relax and unwind. But the ocean is also critical for the life we enjoy – it’s our planet’s life-support system.

It provides us with food, water, oxygen, climate regulation, and other benefits. But the ocean is also facing significant threats, like overfishing, climate change, and plastic pollution, which can harm marine life, ecosystems, and human health. More than 11 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, and this plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that can accumulate in the ocean, in our food and drinking water, and even in human blood.

At Ocean Wise, our mission is to build a global community that takes meaningful action to protect and restore our ocean. One of the ways Ocean Wise is tackling the critical issue of plastic pollution is through Shoreline Cleanups. Since beginning in 1994, the program has engaged more than 1 million volunteers and grown to become one of the largest direct-action conservation programs in Canada, recently expanding into the United States. Anyone can join or lead a Shoreline Cleanup, taking action for our ocean wherever water meets land, one bit of trash at a time.

We’ve been pleased to have several groups of RGF Integrated Wealth Management volunteers join #TeamShoreline and participate in cleanups over the years! It’s inspiring to see returning groups of participants year after year to amplify the positive impact on the shorelines. We’ve heard that Shoreline Cleanups tend to be the most popular event of the year for RGF Integrated Wealth Management advisors and staff to participate in – and we love that! Picking up a piece of plastic may seem like a small step for our ocean but it adds up to make a big difference.

By participating in a Shoreline Cleanup, volunteers are making a positive difference for our ocean in several ways. First, we are directly reducing the amount of litter that ends up in the ocean, preventing it from harming marine life. Second, and particularly important, we’re collecting valuable data on the types and sources of litter found, which helps Ocean Wise and our partners address pollution at its source. For example, our Shore-line Cleanup data, collected by thousands of amazing volunteers, helped inform the Canadian federal single-use plastic ban announced in 2020. This data had come from more than two decades’ worth of cleanups from coast to coast to coast. We love that data collected during cleanups allows us to make even more of an impact! Third, we’re raising awareness and inspiring others to take action for the ocean in their own local communities.

As well as informing policy, we also use the litter data to compile the annual Dirty Dozen – a list of the top 12 most found items during Shoreline Cleanups that year. Some of the most common items found during the cleanups are cigarette butts, plastic pieces, and food wrappers, many of which are single-use items that can be easily avoided or replaced with reusable alternatives. This list can be especially insightful to see what the most littered items are, as it leads to thoughts and conversations about how we can reduce our use of those items in our own lives.

Taking part in a Shoreline Cleanup for the first time can be extremely eye-opening. Many folks don’t notice a lot of litter upon arrival on a shoreline. But the reality is once they get started, a number of volunteers are surprised to see just how many small bits of plastic they end up collecting! That realization can have a significant impact because it shows how plastic breaks down and infiltrates blue and green spaces.

Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanups are just one component of our Ocean Pollution and Plastics initiative, working to reduce the flow of plastic into our ocean from source to shore. Our plastics work consists of three integrated programs: Shoreline Cleanup, the Plastics Lab, and the Plastic Reduction Program. These programs allow us to introduce people to the problem of ocean pollution, develop innovative solutions that address plastic use, and provide accessible actions that allow people and businesses to reduce their unnecessary plastic. Visit ocean.org to learn more.

Taking part in a cleanup is a great way to spend time with friends and colleagues and enjoy the benefits of being outside, all while making a difference for our ocean. We look forward to more Shoreline Cleanups and other fun ocean-saving initiatives with RGF Integrated Wealth Management in the future! ■

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of RGF Integrated Wealth Management, which makes no representations as to their completeness or accuracy.

Estate Planning Misconceptions

In this 5-minute webinar, we explore an important but often misunderstood area of financial planning.

Learn More