Clean Oceans International (COI) is a Santa Cruz, California based 501c3 non-profit.
Our mission is to develop practical solutions to plastic pollution through Research, Innovation and Direct action.
Clean Oceans Backstory from Clean Oceans International on Vimeo.
Clean Oceans Backstory from Clean Oceans International on Vimeo.
A New Beginning
COI began in 2008 as “The Clean Oceans Project” and developed systems for locating, collecting and recycling plastic from the ocean with minimal environmental and financial impact. The Clean Oceans Project did not raise the funds to execute their plan and the original team disbanded. COI rose from those ashes in 2015 with a new approach, centered around Portable Plastic to Fuel (PPTF).
Our agenda is organized to provide a logical approach to reducing plastic.
Our agenda is organized to provide a logical approach to reducing plastic.
Research, Innovation, and Direct Action (RID)
Research
COI’s Research component is called "Environmental Plastic Assessment Program" (EPEP). EPAP works with volunteers conducting simple data-collection on shorelines and during cleanup events, generating useful information with minimal financial input and creating awareness of plastic pollution through community networking and corporate team building.
Consistent shoreline and environmental monitoring must coincide with abatement measures to assess any changes positive or not. EPAP is simple enough to be done by one person using inexpensive hand tools.
Innovation
COI’s Innovation component is shrinking Portable Plastic to Fuel (PPTF) technology to convert plastic waste into diesel fuel at any location.
Studies began using the Blest BeH, 1-Kg system and commercial chemistry analysis firms in 2010. Energy testing began with the arrival of the initial EFT 100 PPTF system in 2015. In 2020, the COI PPTF mobile lab was donated to Oregon State University School of Chemical Engineering and testing and design is planned to be conducted as a partnership now. Covid-19 put this work on hold but planning continues with waste management infrastructure, local businesses and agricultural partners.
These trials will also produce financial guidelines for profitable deployment of this emerging technology internationally. Scalable infrastructure to profitably convert plastic into liquid fuel generates localized financial motivation to manage plastic waste as a valuable resource rather than a nuisance. Just as cash deposits have almost eliminated can and bottle debris, value for plastic scrap incentivizes plastic collection and recycling.
Direct action
Direct action is where we apply what we have learned to solve specific problems. Our expeditions page discusses our trips to distant shores.
From 2013 to 2019 COI staff and volunteers collected debris and talked trash in Hawaii, Alaska, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, California, Canada, Florida, France, India, Malta, Oregon, Spain, and Switzerland. In these “Expeditions” we learned about variations in plastic packaging and local waste management practices and restrictions. In each location we visited, our waste management ideas are getting thoughtful consideration.
These tests and trials are an important prelude to deploying PPTF to isolated and remote locations. The term "Power structures" describe more than electricity. Deployed systems must be able to plug into cultural and demographic situations as seamlessly as the local grid to start up and operate effectively. Employment norms and regulatory considerations are essential for successful installations to operate. Our goal is to make PPTF available to any community at prices that motivate plastic management.
COI has had hundreds of volunteers join our expeditions and shoreline cleanup events and has begun to add the option of sailing expeditions. This has all been slowed by Covid19 but planning continues and we anticipate the eventual triumph of science and clear thinking to get back to work.
COI’s Research component is called "Environmental Plastic Assessment Program" (EPEP). EPAP works with volunteers conducting simple data-collection on shorelines and during cleanup events, generating useful information with minimal financial input and creating awareness of plastic pollution through community networking and corporate team building.
Consistent shoreline and environmental monitoring must coincide with abatement measures to assess any changes positive or not. EPAP is simple enough to be done by one person using inexpensive hand tools.
Innovation
COI’s Innovation component is shrinking Portable Plastic to Fuel (PPTF) technology to convert plastic waste into diesel fuel at any location.
Studies began using the Blest BeH, 1-Kg system and commercial chemistry analysis firms in 2010. Energy testing began with the arrival of the initial EFT 100 PPTF system in 2015. In 2020, the COI PPTF mobile lab was donated to Oregon State University School of Chemical Engineering and testing and design is planned to be conducted as a partnership now. Covid-19 put this work on hold but planning continues with waste management infrastructure, local businesses and agricultural partners.
These trials will also produce financial guidelines for profitable deployment of this emerging technology internationally. Scalable infrastructure to profitably convert plastic into liquid fuel generates localized financial motivation to manage plastic waste as a valuable resource rather than a nuisance. Just as cash deposits have almost eliminated can and bottle debris, value for plastic scrap incentivizes plastic collection and recycling.
Direct action
Direct action is where we apply what we have learned to solve specific problems. Our expeditions page discusses our trips to distant shores.
From 2013 to 2019 COI staff and volunteers collected debris and talked trash in Hawaii, Alaska, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, California, Canada, Florida, France, India, Malta, Oregon, Spain, and Switzerland. In these “Expeditions” we learned about variations in plastic packaging and local waste management practices and restrictions. In each location we visited, our waste management ideas are getting thoughtful consideration.
These tests and trials are an important prelude to deploying PPTF to isolated and remote locations. The term "Power structures" describe more than electricity. Deployed systems must be able to plug into cultural and demographic situations as seamlessly as the local grid to start up and operate effectively. Employment norms and regulatory considerations are essential for successful installations to operate. Our goal is to make PPTF available to any community at prices that motivate plastic management.
COI has had hundreds of volunteers join our expeditions and shoreline cleanup events and has begun to add the option of sailing expeditions. This has all been slowed by Covid19 but planning continues and we anticipate the eventual triumph of science and clear thinking to get back to work.
