We’re pleased to announce the successful completion of the inaugural Ocean Impact Accelerator Program 2024, congratulations to the five brilliant startups for completing the program and achieving this milestone.

[Sydney, 14 November 2024] In a first for Australia, OIO and Southerly Ten have today launched the Offshore Wind Net Positive Challenge, seeking innovative solutions to help the emerging OSW industry have a positive impact on the ocean, biodiversity and climate.

Traditional visual representations of our global ocean fail to accurately depict it’s true integrity. As our relationship with the ocean evolves, properly advocating for and protecting it demands a collective shift in how we imagine it.

Covering over two-thirds of our terraqueous Earth, the ocean is the planet’s largest ecosystem. This body of water provides us with the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate, fuels the water cycle, and supplies nourishment and sustenance for billions of people.

On December 2nd The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) released the ‘Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy: A vision for Protection, Production and Prosperity’ Report. The report was launched on December 2nd, coinciding with national launch events held by Ocean Panel member states across the globe.

The Ocean Panel is made up of leaders from 14 countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau and Portugal. Combined, they make up 40% of the world’s coastlines, 30% of offshore exclusive economic zones, 20% of the world’s fisheries and 20% of the world’s shipping fleet.

Ocean Impact Organisation launched in February as a service to help people start, grow and invest in businesses that positively impact the ocean. It’s Australia’s first ocean impact ecosystem and startup accelerator for businesses and entrepreneurs looking to make a positive impact on the ocean and harness the untapped business potential of this landscape. “In terms of what is sort of defined by “ocean impact”, it’s an emerging terminology which essentially says that we live on planet ocean, it’s governed by the sea whether we like it or not,” Silverwood explains. “So, we are looking at all the challenges the ocean faces [divided] into six key themes.”

The award-winning My Octopus Teacher is one of the most heartwarming documentaries released in a while. The film, which premiered on Netflix on September 7th, follows film maker and free diver Craig Foster who had spent the last decade diving off the rocky coastline of Cape Town, known for its extremely cold water and rough conditions. The kelp forest where the story takes place is a clear and still patch in the midst of a chaotic coast, rich in biodiversity in what is essentially Foster’s backyard. One day, he meets an octopus as he is exploring the kelp forest, and driven by a playful but serious curiosity he builds trust with the young octopus that allows him to bear witness to most of her short life and find unexpected meaning in his own.

With the vast array of complex problems facing Planet Ocean it can often feel like one person’s efforts to help are a proverbial drop in the ocean.

When facing the enormous statistics about the amount of plastic pollution entering the ocean every day, week, month and year you could be forgiven for wanting to throw hands in the air and ‘give up’.

As the Covid-19 crisis continues to disrupt our everyday lives, discussions are underway about what our economic path forward could look like. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen drastic policy changes swiftly enacted in what has been praised as a ‘non-political’ approach - an effort to adjust to evolving circumstances based on scientific evidence.

However, when it comes to the discussion of Australia’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan, there is an increasingly polarised perspective on what the future should hold.

We are pleased to announce that Richard Leck is part of the esteemed judging panel who will help select the Runners Up and Winner of The Ocean Impact Pitchfest 2020. We are proud to have WWF Australia as a partner for Pitchfest 2020 and to have Richard’s skills and insights on the judging panel.

Grassroots activism is all about the power of the people - the ability to harness local collective action at the regional, national and international level - and effect meaningful change from the bottom up. The culture of environmental activism in Australia in general is relatively young in comparison with other developed nations, but since climate change and environmental conservation entered the political discourse, it quickly deepened its roots.

What can we learn from bold ocean adventurers and athletes to help us navigate our own everyday struggles and achieve our goals? How can those of us with a burning passion to ‘do more’ to help Planet Ocean or devote our careers to making a positive impact learn from those that have stared down and resolved their own fears and anxieties?

That Planet Ocean needs us to radically transform the way we do things is irrefutable. At Ocean Impact Organisation, we believe that there’s no better way to create change than with a new generation of visionary leaders and doers who can rewrite the narrative and repair the wrongs of our past.

Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Outlaw Ocean, award winning investigative journalist, previous Ocean Impact Podcast guest and newly announced Storytelling Fellow with National Geographic, Ian Urbina, has published a gripping new investigation that highlights the dire human impacts of resource conflict and climate-driven biodiversity loss in the Sea of Japan - a highly contested area of ocean surrounded by the Koreas, Japan and Russia.

Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Outlaw Ocean, award-winning investigative journalist, and previous Ocean Impact Podcast guest Ian Urbina has published a gripping new investigation that highlights the dire human impacts of resource conflict and climate-driven biodiversity loss in the Sea of Japan - a highly contested area of ocean surrounded by the Koreas, Japan and Russia.

In continuing our exploration of the plastic crisis for Plastic Free July, this week we are discussing the many challenges associated with addressing the plastic pollution problem in South and Southeast Asia, an issue that can be attributed to a number of systemic factors. A lack of meaningful government policy, investment in infrastructure, and education on waste disposal and environmentally friendly practice is exacerbated by the absence of coordinated corporate responsibility.

Listen to this great episode right now on Spotify, Apple and Soundcloud

To celebrate the commencement of Plastic Free July 2020 we held an Instagram LIVE discussion with the queen of plastic free living, Kate Nelson aka @plasticfreemermaid

Kate is a waterwoman, activist, plastic science communicator and author of the new book 'I Quit Plastics'.

It’s the 1st of July which means it’s the start of the 10th annual ‘Plastic Free July’ campaign. It’s also a Wednesday which means a brand new episode of The Ocean Impact Podcast. This week’s guest is the inspiring Madison Stewart, otherwise known as ‘Shark Girl’. Read on for more information on Plastic Free July, the new podcast episode, and a live interview coming up this Friday with Kate Nelson, aka Plastic Free Mermaid.

Have you ever stood on the ocean shore, or been tossed around in a boat at sea, and been amazed by the sheer power of the ocean?

Get to know the amazing Peter Steinberg in this week’s Ocean Impact Podcast episode ‘The State of the Ocean with Peter Steinberg’.

It’s World Oceans Day in 4 days and we’re excited to share with you the many ways you can nurture your relationship with Planet Ocean while learning a bit more about this year’s theme “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean”.