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Started in 1994 by Captain Charles Moore the organization’s initial mission was to restore the disappearing kelp forests and improve water quality along the California coast.   In 1997 all that changed. Captain Moore made a startling discovery at sea. Taking a shortcut from Hawaii to California aboard his 50-foot catamaran he veered away from his usual course and went through the rarely traveled North Pacific Gyre. greatnonprofits.org He recalls that “As I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic,” the captain wrote in an essay for Natural History. “It seemed unbelievable, but I never found a clear spot. In the week it took to cross the subtropical high, no matter what time of day I looked, plastic debris was floating everywhere: bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments.” From that point Algalita has pioneered the scientific study of plastic pollution in ...

dan.org What and where is the Nemo's Garden project?  It is an experimental alternative farming underwater biosphere off the coast of Italy started by Sergio Gamberini founder of the Ocean Reef Group in Vista California.  In the summer of 2012, Sergio was enjoying a seaside vacation on the Italian Riviera. Resting in between dives, he enjoyed strolling along the edge of the sea chatting with friends. One day, the conversation veered to his other passion: gardening. He wondered if it would be possible to create the perfect environment to grow basil and was struck by an unusual idea- would it be possible to grow basil underwater? The answer is yes. Plants including basil, strawberries and tomatoes are grown in underwater biospheres They are also experimenting with green beans, peas, zucchini, flowers and a variety of herbs. The goal is to provide an underwater farming alternative without pests or pesticides as a benefit to areas where crops are currently difficu...

For this Netherlands-based charity a very special set of unique skills, along with passion, are required. And according to founder Pascal van Erp, “It is very important to show the world how big the problem is that we are talking about.” “There are lots of nets out in the oceans.” Each dive costs between $2,000 and $2,700. Thus far the group’s only source of support has come from the Dutch government: $530,400 from a pool created by the sale of lottery tickets. Pascal leads a team of 30 to 40 volunteer divers in the North Sea. His group coordinates and works with a loosely integrated network of like-minded divers around the world. “In the last three years, we have made 100 dives and removed 10 tons of fishing gear from the sea,” he says. The nets are then recycled into socks and other textiles. Their efforts are both difficult and dangerous. “It’s the most difficult type of diving I’ve ever done,” says Heather Hamza, one of roughly 50 volunteer divers who make u...