Miami Beach, FL – Following World Ocean Day, Ocean Conservancy is joining Big Blue & You, Debris Free Oceans, and the City of Miami Beach to train students from the Design and Architecture Senior High School (D.A.S.H) to serve as sustainability advisors for Miami Beach businesses. The effort is part of Ocean Conservancy’s Shores Forward initiative to partner with local governments and leaders to protect Florida’s oceans and coasts.

The students will assist local businesses in moving away from single-use plastics and registering them for the #PlasticFreeMB program. They will also assess how implementing plastic reduction efforts can help mitigate the impacts of plastic pollution in the natural environment. At the conclusion of the project, students will provide presentations on their experiences and what they’ve learned about sustainable business operations and best management practices.

“Ocean Conservancy is proud to have partnered with the City of Miami Beach under our Shores Forward initiative to launch the Big Blue Crew’s Plastic-Use Evaluation project. Under Big Blue and You’s leadership, this project is a flagship component of our partnership with Miami Beach. This project is incredibly meaningful not just to the students who have volunteered to participate, but also to the greater Miami Beach community – raising this kind of awareness and having community participation makes a big difference for our ocean and coasts.” – Jon Paul “J.P.” Brooker, Director of Florida Conservation, Ocean Conservancy.

“It is essential for young people who want to protect the ocean to think globally and act locally. All of us at the Big Blue & You are proud to take part in the Shores Forward program and help facilitate more youth leaders in ocean conservation inspire our South Florida community to move toward a single use plastic-free future.” – Danni Washington, Executive Director, Big Blue & You

“We are thrilled to be building upon our #PlasticFreeMB partnership with the City of Miami Beach by bringing high school volunteers into the vision of our sustainable future, with rockstar partners like the Ocean Conservancy and Big Blue & You” – Caiti Waks, Co-Founder and Board President, Debris Free Oceans.

“Our #PlasticFreeMB program already has over 100 participating businesses, and this new collaboration shows how government, nonprofit organizations and students can work together to make our community more sustainable. We’re proud and excited to empower the next generation to help improve the future of the environment they’re inheriting.” – Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber