Why We Partner with 4Ocean to Clean Up the Waves
If you love the beach, you know that bitter mix of frustration, anger, and sadness that surface when you find trash washed up or floating along your favorite shoreline. Learn how Nelson Makes Art works with 4Ocean to clean up the water while spreading the word.
For Love of the Sea
We adore the ocean. The way it smells, the song of the waves, the way the sandy shore feels beneath your feet. So many of Nelson's best paintings are inspired by the sea. Whether it's an epic surfing curl or a gentle coastal sunset, the shore gives us unending beauty.
If you're here, I'm willing to bet you love the ocean, too, and that you want it to stay fresh and beautiful, rather than covered beneath a layer of trash.
Ocean Plastic
We've all seen it, water bottles and styrofoam floating along the beach, or washed up among banks of seaweed. When I was in school, current eco-friendly wisdom taught us to cut through the plastic rings that held together six packs of drinks (or make them into tacky pompoms spray-painted with school colors), to prevent them from getting caught around the necks of sea birds and turtles. This story created a strong mental picture for kids and planted seeds of ocean conservation and protection, but it didn't actually keep those plastic strips out of the waste stream.
Current research points to 8 million pieces of plastic flowing into our oceans every single day. That figure is staggering. It can also be motivating. There are a lot of ways that you can help lower this number in your daily life. Avoid single-use-plastics. Re-use materials instead of throwing them out. Know which items are recycled in your area and follow those guidelines.
Even with these measures, however, there's a lot of plastic already floating around our seas. This is where 4Ocean comes in.
Why 4Ocean
4Ocean actively cleans trash, particularly plastic, out of the world's waters. Their philosophy is that business can be a source for good, and benefit our planet and its people. This belief is shared by the Nelson Makes Art team, and is what first inspired us to partner with 4Ocean back in 2018.
As of this week, they've removed 14,323,996 pounds of plastic from the ocean. This isn't hyperbole. They track every pound, and each bracelet or other product you purchase funds a pound of plastic removal.
This is why we sell a variety of 4Ocean bracelets on Nelson Makes Art. Every purchase pulls plastic from the ocean, making it a cleaner and more beautiful place to enjoy.
It also gives you a stylish accessory that you can wear with pride. Spreading the word about conservation efforts and protecting our oceans is hugely important to keeping them healthy.
Buy them as gifts! Share the love and share the knowledge! Every pound of plastic counts!
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If you'd really like to make a difference and support a working artist (especially during COVID-19) here are more ways to help out:
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