• OCEAN VOYAGES INSTITUTE

    THE OCEAN IS EARTH’S LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM.

    2 out of 3 breaths we take come from the ocean. But our ocean is in trouble – it’s now the World’s largest plastic dump and needs cleanup now. Our proven solutions remove plastics & restore our ocean.

    JOIN US AND HELP CLEAN OUR OCEAN

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  • PLASTIC POLLUTES

    OUR OCEAN NEEDS CLEANUP NOW

    Every year over 460 million tons of plastic are produced, much of it for one-time use and less than 9% of the world’s plastics are recycled. In many cases, plastic waste that is not incinerated or land-filled makes its way to the oceans. Ocean plastic kills millions of seabirds, marine mammals, fish, sea turtles & other marine life every year. Microplastics entering our food chain cause immune, neurological, reproductive disorders & illness.

    OUR OCEAN WILL HAVE MORE PLASTIC THAN FISH (IN WEIGHT) BY 2050 UNLESS WE CHANGE.

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  • OCEAN RESTORATION

    WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN NEARLY EVERY PROBLEM HAS A SOLUTION.

    We must make protecting 72% of our planet a priority. The global ocean is vital to our own health and health of the planet. Ocean Voyages Institute and our collaborators around the world believe now is the time to restore our ocean.

    ~ Mary Crowley, Ocean Voyages Institute Founder & Executive Director

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  • WE CAN ALL BE OCEAN HEROES

    SOLVING A PROBLEM STARTS WITH KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE ONE.

    Ocean Voyages Institute’s Ocean Cleanup Initiative vividly shows how discarded plastics are clogging the ocean, causing a major problem for the planet’s vital “blue heart,” entangling marine life and insidiously killing as it accumulates in the food chain, from tiny plankton to great whales. Best of all, the mission highlights hope with ideas for positive action.

    ~ Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer

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OCEAN CLEANUP

Since 2009 Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI) has been sounding the alarm about the mounting threat of ocean plastics—and finding solutions. In our 10 mid-ocean cleanup voyages to the Pacific Gyre, mid-way between California and Hawaii, OVI had retrieved more than 850,000 pounds of plastic debris—ranging from household plastic trash to abandoned fishing nets. In 2020, OVI completed the largest open-ocean cleanup in history—recovering and upcycling, recycling and repurposing some 340,000 pounds (170  tons) of plastics. We’re now preparing to take these proven methods to scale – continuing in the North Pacific Gyre and expanding throughout the Pacific Basin, including areas such as Tonga, the Marshall Islands, the Galapagos Archipelago and many more to come.

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Cleanup Voyages to the Pacific Gyre

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Pounds of Marine Debris Removed

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BECOME AN OCEAN HERO

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GET INVOLVED

WE CAN ALL BE OCEAN HEROES

SPONSOR OCEAN CLEANUP

Awareness, action and change is what is needed! We live in a time where nearly every problem has a solution. 

The question is Are we ready to make protecting 72% of the planet a priority? Our global ocean is the blue heart of the planet. Ocean Voyages Institute and our collaborators around the world believe now is the time for action to restore the health of our ocean.

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BE AN OCEAN HERO

With a lead grant from Matson Navigation Company, OVI has launched a campaign to build and operate two custom-designed sailing vessels, enabling OVI to extend our clean-up operations beyond the summer months and focus on collecting plastics in areas of the Pacific most at risk, including Marine Protected Areas.

HELP OVI EXPAND OUR OCEAN CLEANUP EFFORT

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LATEST NEWS

MARY CROWLEY, OVI FOUNDER, ADDRESSES OCEANS SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE

Mary Crowley, founder and president of Ocean Voyage Institute, was featured as a keynote plenary speaker at the OCEANS 2023 conference in Limerick, Ireland, June 5-8, 2023. Since 2009, Mary has led research voyages to the North Pacific Gyre studying plastic debris distribution and conducting cleanups. In her plenary remarks,…

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PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE

"Solving a problem starts with knowing that you have one. Ocean Voyages Institute’s Ocean Cleanup Initiative vividly shows how discarded plastics are clogging the ocean, causing a major problem for the planet’s vital “blue heart,”entangling marine life and insidiously killing as it accumulates in the food chain, from tiny plankton to great whales. Best of all, the mission highlights hope with ideas for positive action."
Dr. Sylvia Earle
National Geographic explorer-in-residence
“It is very disturbing to be sailing through what was only decades ago a pristine ocean wilderness and find it filled with our all-too-familiar garbage. Urgent action is needed at all levels: curtailing the manufacture of throwaway plastics, preventing plastic trash from entering the oceans, and enlisting the public, corporations, and the maritime industry in education, prevention, innovation and massive cleanup efforts. The question is, are we ready to make it a priority to protect 72 percent of the planet?”
Mary T. Crowley
OVI Founder & Executive Director
“OVI’s proven method for removing plastics from the ocean efficiently and sustainably is a scalable, viable global solution. Matson is proud to support this project, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with OVI to advance its important work in the years to come.”
Matt Cox
Matson CEO and Chairman

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

Ocean Voyages Institute’s cleanup technologies are proven, effective and efficient. OVI’s cleanup processes are designed to improve the habitat for sea life and save the lives of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, fish and other marine life. With over 40 years of maritime experience and over a decade of expertise in removing plastic from the ocean, OVI is a world leader in ocean cleanup.

Protecting the ocean environment is a major aspect of our ocean cleanup work. Our methods are scalable and can be used with partners throughout the world. OVI is asking for donations and financial support in order to scale up ocean restoration.

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