Adapted from a press release.
Earth Animal and Fera Pets teamed up with rePurpose Global, a sustainability action platform, to help protect the breeding ground of migrating humpback whales in Colombia in honor of World Ocean Day.
A team of more than 50 volunteers recovered 16,797 pounds of plastic waste, the equivalent of 1.27 million plastic bags, across the beaches of Juan Chaco and La Barra in Buenaventura, Colombia, from leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
Colombia’s Pacific coast, famous for its beaches and national parks, is a crucial habitat for migrating humpback whales. Unfortunately, the region battles a severe plastic pollution problem due to inadequate waste management infrastructure. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highlights in its issues brief on plastic pollution that all ecosystems— land, freshwater and marine — suffer its effects. An estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic waste leaks into the environment annually, causing profound harm by polluting ecosystems, diminishing biodiversity, and exacerbating climate change, noted rePurpose Global..
“We at Earth Animal are dedicated to caring for animals, people, and our Earth and consider the social and environmental impact of everything we do," said Stephanie Volo, chief impact officer, at Earth Animal Ventures. "As such, we are thrilled to have participated in preventing plastic pollution from destroying the ecosensitive region of Buenaventura. Preserving our natural ecosystems is essential for conservation efforts and is fundamental to human well-being."
Transformative power of collaboration
As the convener of brands supporting impact projects protecting vulnerable coastal regions across the Americas, Africa and Asia, rePurpose Global said it understands the transformative power of collaboration in creating a healthy blue planet, and a more just, equitable and sustainable society. Educational sessions were also planned for local communities of Buenaventura about the importance of recovering and recycling plastics.
“As part of the initiative, volunteers were encouraged to bring plastic waste from their homes and neighboring environment, and the collected waste was exchanged for essential items such as cooking tools and games for children, among other things," said Hannah Hughes, director of innovation and sustainability at Fera Pets. "It was lovely to see the smiles on their faces and the impact we made."
Peter Wang Hjemdahl, cofounder and chief innovation officer at rePurpose Global said it is an honor to be working with impact partners such as Earth Animals and Fera Pets who understand the importance of plastic reduction and the intricate connection between plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of ecosystems, and are actively taking action against plastic pollution.
"To create a sustainable future, we need to not only mitigate our generation of plastic waste but actively find plastic alternatives,” Hjemdahl emphasized.
