Cleaner Oceans

“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.”
~ Jacques Cousteau

The ocean covers over 70% of our planet. Roughly 5% of these oceans have been explored, yet humans have already managed to destroy about 85% of it. For ages people have chosen to ignore the symbiotic relationship we share with the ocean, constantly affecting one another. When we think of the air we breathe, food we eat, and planet we live on, the ocean is often overlooked. In reality, the ocean is the center of life as we know it.

Here at South Made Marketing, we are passionate about saving our oceans.

It started with our owners. Melissa grew up on Marco Island, spending countless hours on the beaches and on the water. She attended Florida Atlantic University, a college on the East Coast of Florida where students spend most of their spare time on the beach. When she introduced Derek to South Florida he too fell in love with the captivating crystal clear water of South West Florida. In 2017 a fellow Marco Island native and Florida Atlantic graduate developed 4Oceans, an organization committed to cleaning the oceans. This sparked a serious movement on Marco Island.

Our marketing firm now has two locations, Knoxville and Marco Island, and our team have all learned about the dire need to help keep the oceans clean. The more we learned the more we wanted to help.

The ocean crisis isn’t coming, it is already here. Knowledge is power, and today, we’re committed to drop some truth-bombs about the current situation, what you can do to help, and how South Made Marketing plans to do their part.

SOME OCEAN FACTS:

FACT: The ocean produces roughly 50% of the oxygen we breathe, and absorbs carbon waste.

FACT: The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth.

FACT: The ocean provides people with food security, supplying more than 20% of the protein we eat. (This number is up to 50% in developing countries)

FACT: The ocean promotes our world economy by providing millions of jobs and acting as a route of transportation for 90% of the worlds trade.

FACT: Over 97% of the water on Earth is stored in the ocean.

FACT: Keeping our oceans healthy can help to regulate climate change, as the ocean absorbs 90% of the heat from our atmosphere.

FACT: There are currently islands of trash in our oceans twice the size of Texas.

FACT: Experts believe that if we do not save our oceans, climate change will accelerate (any may be irreversible without the ocean), marine life will die out, seas will rise, storms will surge, and the effects will overall be catastrophic.

What is South Made doing to help? 

South Made will donate a portion of every project we work on to a non-profit organization that is helping clean our oceans, committing to donate a minimum of $100 a month to the clean ocean movement.

We pledge to not use any single use plastics in our office. Have reusable water bottles and utensils for all employees, purchase items that are made from recycled materials for use in the office such as reusable bags, camera cases, phone cases, and we as a team recycle all eligible trash that would normally end up in our waterways.

So, what can you do to help?

There are endless ways to play your part in the helping, as the US topples every nation in the pollution of plastic in our oceans. A good place to start? Reducing, reusing, and recycling. It’s easy, it’s free, and anyone can do it. If you’re looking for companies to support in their mission of cleaning the ocean, we recommend brands such as 4Ocean. 4Ocean has pledged to pull one pound of trash from our oceans for every purchase made from their store. They carry trendy bracelets, single-use alternatives, apparel, and more. They even have a Clean Ocean Club you can join in order to pull more pounds from the ocean on a monthly basis.

The following is a list of other companies that are initiating efforts to clean up our oceans (and keep them that way):
United by Blue (has already removed over 3 million pounds from the ocean!)
Sand Cloud
The Ocean Clean Up
Sea Shepard
Oceana