Collaborating for a Cleaner Ocean: Ocean Blue Project Fort Myers Beach CleanUp
By Karisa Arterbury
When Jacqueline Ryan connected with Ocean Blue Project via the Volunteer Opportunities page on Ocean Blue’s website, nobody anticipated the wave of support for a Fort Myers Beach Cleanup. Jackie is a team member at Gartner, a company that delivers actionable, objective insight that drives smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s mission-critical priorities.
Forging Partnerships for Environmental Impact
Earth Breeze stepped up as the sponsor for the event:
Joining Forces for a Cleaner Tomorrow: Ocean Blue Partners with Earth Breeze
This Earth Day marks the expansion of an innovative partnership between Ocean Blue Project and Earth Breeze, aiming to clean up 1.5 million pounds of plastic and debris from our oceans and coastlines this year. This ambitious project not only underscores our commitment to the planet but also paves the way for a cleaner, healthier future for all living beings. Our partnership will leverage community engagement, innovative solutions, and sustainable practices to combat ocean plastic pollution.
Earth Day is a reminder of our shared responsibility to protect our planet, and with Ocean Blue and Earth Breeze working together, we are turning every day into Earth Day. Join us as we embark on this critical journey to restore the beauty and health of our oceans. Together, let’s make a wave of change!
Community Engagement and Support
Denny Roux, Senior Account Executive at Gartner expressed gratitude for the collective effort, highlighting the impact of individual contributions.
During the cleanup event, Keep Lee County Beautiful and All Hands and Hearts also lent their support. Keep Lee County Beautiful, a local Fort Myers nonprofit, is dedicated to inspiring, educating, and engaging the Lee County community in improving, beautifying, and protecting our environment. Leveraging their wealth of experience and passionate volunteers, they played an important role in removing litter and debris from the coastline. Meanwhile, All Hands and Hearts, known for their community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief, brought their expertise to Fort Myers Beach, providing ongoing support to the area.
Cleanup Results and Impact
The cleanup effort yielded substantial results, bringing in dozens of burlap bags filled with over 220 pounds of plastic and debris collected. This initiative builds on Ocean Blue Project’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship, with a history of cleanups at Fort Myers Beach dating back to 2018. Ocean Blue Project frequently collaborates with Florida Gulf Coast University students to fulfill course requirements to work with a nonprofit as part of a service learning project.
Sarah Armstrong, the Director of Partnerships and Impact at Earth Breeze, shared her reflections following the cleanup event at Fort Myers Beach, Florida, stating, “We were so honored and excited to participate with the Ocean Blue Project team and community volunteers who came together to help clean 220 lbs of plastic and debris from Fort Myers Beach. Being able to know we are collaborating to support our commitment to remove 1.5 MIllion lbs of plastic at large while also being able to pick up individual pieces of trash and see the real impact locally was incredible. The energy was fantastic and made me so hopeful and optimistic about what we can do together. We’ve made some incredible impact together over the past few years with Ocean Blue and Earth Breeze, but we are even more excited for what the future holds!”
Ocean Blue Project Shows Resilience and Commitment to Florida
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, Ocean Blue Project staff remained steadfast in its mission, showing up to support the community after the devastation. Sadly, the pier where we once met for cleanups was destroyed. The spirit of stewardship alive in the hearts of Fort Myers Beach and surrounding communities is inspiring, fuelled by a shared love for the ocean and the surrounding ecosystem.
Celebrating Collaboration at Fort Myers Beach
Fort Myers Beach is an excellent example of collaboration within the environmental nonprofit sector. Unlike in many other regions, where territorial competition among nonprofits is present, Fort Myers Beach embraces collaboration wholeheartedly. This collaborative spirit extends beyond organizations, to include students and business groups, coming together for the greater good.
That’s why the Ocean Blue Project team loves Fort Myers Beach CleanUps, the collaborative spirit fosters a celebratory atmosphere, leaving the beach and ocean a better place.
Preserving Natural Treasures: From Fort Myers Beach to the Everglades to the Florida Keys
Perhaps the community’s gung-ho attitude toward the ocean stems from the proximity of Fort Myers Beach to The Everglades Big Cypress National Preserve. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. It’s not just a swamp; it’s a unique mix of sawgrass marshes, mangrove forests, and hardwood hammocks that support a diverse range of plant and animal species.
After the Fort Myers CleanUp, the Ocean Blue Project team traveled through the Everglades, toward the mangroves of the Florida Keys to support another vital ecosystem. On the journey, local residents and visitors alike expressed gratitude for the preservation of these natural treasures.
One boater called out to the team with a big, “Thank you for cleaning up!” The commitment of individuals like the unnamed boater encountered during the cleanup resonates deeply. They appreciated the help and expressed concern for preserving the precious wildlife habitat and registered national park.
Their dedication to environmental stewardship reflects a shared ethos among coastal communities: a profound appreciation for the ocean’s beauty and resources. These are people who don’t need to be taught not to litter. The water is a part of them and they are a part of the water. They love the ocean and they unite in places like Fort Myers Beach to ensure they are doing one small part for the one world ocean we all share.
It all adds up, every small piece. Even one piece of trash can harm a marine animal like the green sea turtle that was rescued in the Florida Keys and now calls Alligator Reef home.
As we reflect on our collective efforts, let us remember that every action, no matter how small, contributes to the preservation of our planet’s most precious resource—the ocean. Are you ready to join or start a beach cleanup in your community?
