Ocean Wise Innovator Lab announces prize-winning ideas to tackle marine plastic pollution
Today, Ocean Wise has announced the winners of the inaugural Ocean Wise Innovator Lab. Cash prizes have been awarded to the three finalists for their outstanding concepts to tackle the pressing issue of plastic pollution in the ocean.
These top innovations were designed to create maximum positive impact and engage local communities in minimizing plastics in the ocean.
The youth winners and their innovations are:
First place: Ranah Chavoshi, Vancouver, British Columbia
Ranah began developing a prototype for a biodegradable and non-toxic bioplastic without a petroleum-based plasticizer. By working with local Indigenous communities, Ranah hopes to utilize seaweed aquaculture and farm multiple seaweed species with coastal communities to create a seaweed bioplastic.
Second place: Jocelyn Marsh, Vancouver, British Columbia
Jocelyn started the “Love Our Oceans Project” to combat plastic waste throughout Veterinary Medicine. A multi-step process, including audits and a Pill Vial Recycling Program, the project is the first of its kind within the industry, having the potential to decrease approximately 2.7 million plastic needles / syringes and 340,000 pill vials per year in Veterinary clinics across Canada.
Third place: Brittney St. Amant, Tofino, British Columbia
Brittney hopes to release a documentary, “Along the Mountains and the Sea,” which documents the impacts of plastic pollution on unceded Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations territory through the eyes of the Nuu-chah-nulth. Brittney will continue to educate and raise awareness after the documentary release by setting up educational booths and hosting shoreline cleanups.
The Ocean Wise Innovator Lab is a project-based competition for youth aged 13–30. The program elevates youth voices by providing mentorship from leading ocean health experts and entrepreneurs, who helped participants develop innovative ocean health solutions, with a particular focus on plastic pollution for the inaugural year.
Scott Bohachyk, Director, Youth, spokes about the program’s outcomes: “I am delighted that our inaugural Ocean Wise Innovator Lab has provided the expert mentorship, educational resources, and seed funding to bring young people’s innovative ocean solutions to life. At Ocean Wise, we know youth aren’t just the future, they are the present, with many leading change in their homes, schools, and communities around the world. The unique abilities of young people hold the potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing ocean conservation issues and we’re already looking forward to seeing these innovations come to life.”
During the three month program, participants received education and mentorship from a global team of leading entrepreneurs and ocean health experts, including Alexandra Cousteau, Co-Founder of Ocean 2050, Brad Liski, CEO of Tru Earth, Joe Mwakiremba of Ocean Sole Africa, Brian Hardwick, partner and impact strategist at Enso Collaborative, Soraya Abdel-Hadi, founder of All The Elements, and Laura Hardman, Director of Ocean Wise Plastics Initiative.
Ocean Wise Innovator Lab mentor, Joe Mwakiremba, shared the program’s impact: “In Africa, there is an old adage that says, “It takes a village to raise a child”. I absolutely love Ocean Wise’s approach to reaching out to the global community for solutions. All of the participants presented a myriad of opportunities that can offer that solution to this global plastic problem we all find ourselves in.”
According to the UN Environmental Programme, 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced globally each year, and production of primary plastic is forecasted to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050. Urgent action is needed to reduce the non-essential use, production and disposal of plastics, and [names of winners] will help lead the next generation of changemakers to realize a better future for ocean health.
