10 organisations we love that are caring for our oceans
From underwater waterfalls (check out the ‘Denmark Straight Cataract’), to 98-foot whales, to bioluminescent marine life in the deep sea, there’s so much to appreciate and protect in our oceans and seas.
From underwater waterfalls (check out the ‘Denmark Straight Cataract’), to 98-foot whales, to bioluminescent marine life in the deep sea, there’s so much to appreciate and protect in our oceans and seas.
Covering 70% of the surface of the earth, our oceans regulate our climate, produce over half of the world's oxygen, absorb 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere, and are home to 94% of all life on earth as we know it.
It’s an understatement to say that we rely on the oceans, yet there are many human-made threats around, spanning from destructive overfishing, to plastic pollution, to chemical dumping. Thankfully there are also a whole host of planet-conscious people out there who are also worried about these topics, and who are proactively creating the solution(s).
If ocean-focused missions are your thing too, then check out these unique organisations on Escape the City that are all doing their bit for the blue planet (and 10 points if you spot all the ocean puns sprinkled throughout!).
Love the Oceans was founded to protect vulnerable marine animals in Mozambique via a community-led approach, to secure a more sustainable future and protect biodiversity. If you're passionate about community building, protecting our oceans and working for an organisation that is helping protect and heal our planet, there are few making such a huge impact as Love The Oceans. They are making waves - excuse the pun - and we're delighted that they made it into our Escape 100 shortlist for 2022, just look at their planet score!
City to Sea makes it easy for each of us to understand the small actions we can take every day to turn the tide on plastic pollution. They bring humour, humility, and enthusiasm to a depressing issue, making it easy to get involved and become an everyday activist. Their mission and eco-credentials are clear; little wonder therefore why they ended up scoring highly in our Escape 100 list this year. Not content with simply making the planet a cleaner and healthier place, they focus equally on making City to Sea an amazing place to work, too.
SafetyNet is addressing the environmental, ecological and economical impacts of waste in the commercial fishing industry with its innovative PISCES technology - a set of fishing lights that can deter certain species to the tune of a 90% reduction in by-catch. Their impact is broad for such a small team and they align very closely with several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. They've made the leap into the top 10 of our Escape 100 this year off the back of consistently high scores in every category. Any budding environmentalist shouldn't hesitate to jump at the chance to work for this brill-iant organisation.
The mission of Reef-World Foundation is more important now than ever: "to inspire and empower people to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources, particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems". The close-knit team is proud to be working towards a meaningful shared goal, in a high-performing and deeply supportive environment. There are opportunities aplenty to grow and develop, both professionally and personally, and the hands-on nature of the organisation means there is no danger of driving a desk all day! They are most certainly one to watch!
TYF adventure are on a mission to help people fall so deeply in love with nature that it changes the way that they live. What a mission statement! Inspiring generations with low-carbon, eco-friendly outfitted adventures they are bringing people together to reconnect with nature. As a B-Corp they are committed to the environment, the community and their people, and this is reflected in what their staff say about them. If you're looking for a bit of adventure alongside an inspiring mission and killer employee benefits, TYF might be perfect for you.
Seas4Life’s motivation is for everyone to discover the real beauty of our oceans, whether swimming, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, or just relaxing. Each adventure is carbon offsetted by an accredited organisation that has pinpointed projects within Africa, and all the photos taken on the trips by attendees contribute to ongoing worldwide citizen science initiatives, feeding into a worldwide database to help scientists identify species migration routes, their health, behaviour and numbers.
This grassroots movement has grown into one of the UK’s most active and successful environmental charities. From humble beginnings in Cornwall in 1990, they’re grown to a team of 20 that work in the office full time, in addition to their huge volunteer community, which acts together to bring in donations, carry out ocean-friendly volunteering activities like beach cleans, sign petitions, and spread the word about protecting our coastlines from plastic pollution and raw sewage.
4ocean is dedicated to removing rubbish from our oceans and coastlines, while inspiring individuals to work together for cleaner oceans. Their flagship project is a bracelet, made from recycled materials, which funds the removal of one pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. In less than 4 years, they have sold enough bracelets to pull over 16 million pounds of trash from the ocean. Right now they’re working on products that help people reduce their dependence on single-use plastic, as well as getting involved in the newest technology, beach cleanups, influence work, and education.
Oceanium develops innovative, all-natural products from sustainably-sourced seaweed. Yep, you heard it - seaweed! Their vision is to integrate sustainably-farmed seaweed into our everyday lives, to both benefit us as people, and the planet itself. This ‘wonder plant’ has evolved extraordinary protective and restorative mechanisms to survive against extreme conditions – from UV rays, to constant wave action, to temperature fluctuations.
When you buy an ocean bottle, not only can you rest assured that your days of single use bottles are firmly behind you, but you know that for every bottle that's purchased you're helping to collect 11.4 kg of plastics in some of the most polluted areas around the globe. Ocean bottle funds the collection of waste plastic in some of the poorest areas, giving a valuable lifeline and economy to otherwise impoverished areas and crucially creating a green economy which supports communities and the planet. It's no wonder that Ocean Bottle ended up in our Escape 100 list this year, too.
Did you feel the pull of the deep blue while reading about these organisations? Check out their current jobs on their profiles, or hit 'Create Alert' at the top of their page to stay in the loop about their future opportunities. Don’t forget you can also set up themed Job Alerts, by keyword or filter (oceans, sustainability, etc.). Happy organisation discovering!