More than 3 billion people make a living on the ocean’s marine and coastal biodiversity livelihood, and 2.6 billion rely on our oceans for their main source of protein. The oceans also employ over more than 200 million people, and yet this invaluable resource is being threatened by climate change, acidification, pollution, and overfishing. These impacts are real and affecting coastal communities around the world.
And that’s where GreenWave comes in. GreenWave was established by Bren Smith, a commercial fisherman who realized he wasn’t on a sustainable path. He addressed his challenge by transforming fishermen and women into restorative ocean farmers.
The inspiration
Today Bren is renowned as the pioneer and visionary behind 3-D Restorative Ocean Farming, a zero-input protocol for ocean farms to grow new and resilient species.
Since he started the implementation of the 3D Restorative Ocean Farming Protocol, Bren’s farm has been destroyed twice by hurricanes. Bren explains, “Rising water temperatures and acidification have forced me to grow new and more resilient species.” And Bren is just one example of how fishermen and coastal communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis.
Last year, Bren ran a Kickstarter campaign that caught the eye of Brendan Coffey, who is now co-founder and COO. Brendan is the entrepreneurial spirit to Bren’s innovation, the two solidifying what is now GreenWave.
The many sides of GreenWave’s day-to-day
“If we’re not out educating others on our floating classroom on the Long Island Sound or harvesting kelp and shellfish for seafood, biofuel, fertilizer, animal feed or for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, you will find us at WeWork,” says Brendan.
GreenWave supports ocean farmers globally, and is developing a social platform called “The Ocean.” Social media is also a focus, using all channels to get the word out, not only about GreenWave, but also the greater sustainable fishing movement.
The business of sustainability
When asked about the hardest part of running a business, Brendan answered, “Being a young organization has its inherent challenges. Add the complexity that goes with the 501c3 application process, and you can easily get lost in wondering why there is so much bureaucracy in saving the world.
As with any business, there’s good and bad news. The sustainability conversation is picking up momentum, with an increasing number of people acknowledging the effect of climate change. But the severe impact of climate change – such as Hurricane Sandy and Katrina – is the cost of this growing awareness and attention to the issue.
Brendan ends with a positive note, “These conversations have shifted from whether to when, and organizations like GreenWave are able to increase our impact.”
Hacking for fish
From June 13 to 15, GreenWave will be having a Fishackathon, a multi-city event where teams can create, design, innovate and implement solutions to address fishery sustainability issues around the world. Then, June 16 and 17, the U.S. State Department will hold the Our Ocean Conference.