Good Qs with Daisy Kendrick, Founder of Ocean Generation
It’s no secret that our oceans require immediate attention. Fortunately, activist Daisy Kendrick, founder of Ocean Generation, has made its survival her mission.
Founded in 2016 Ocean Generation aims to help educate younger (and all) generations about the issues plaguing the world's oceans.
We sat down with Daisy to discuss greenwashing, coral bleaching and how we can reduce our plastic footprint.
Could you tell us a little bit about Ocean Generation, what inspired you to start it?
I was doing work experience at the United Nations in New York in 2015. It was an exciting year when they were introducing the Sustainable Development Agenda for all countries to adopt – 17 goals for the next 15 years tackling areas such as poverty, education, equality and for the first time in history there was a big push on climate change. This is where I first began to really learn that climate change and the impact it was having on people and communities around the world.
I started small with self-education, talking to friends and then began sharing information online to open up the discussion which eventually led to starting Ocean Generation.
As an organisation we have harnessed the use of technology such as mobile gaming and documentary making, to tell our oceans’ story and empower young people globally with new skills to tackle issues and develop solutions to ocean threats.
Tell us a little bit more about your exciting book, The Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We.
The Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We aims to serve as an inspiration and tool that focuses on individual change for climate action.
The severity of climate change and its potential impact on our livelihoods should leave nobody indifferent. The book will open your mind with facts about different industries, from the clothes you buy to the food you eat; what you do at home; the plastics we use that fuel climate change and jeopardise our future; our use of social media and technology, the surge of modern-day activism and what tools are empowering us to get our voices heard and demand climate action.
Each chapter first delves into how each industry affects the environment, the blows it has on people and communities globally and finally, it suggests simple switches that you can make in your everyday life. Making a difference and doing your part for the environment doesn’t mean taking up all your time and money. Some of the eco-switches might seem obvious, some may be unattainable to you and some might not be even relevant.
The ambition of this book is to empower us with knowledge so that you can make decisions that fit your beliefs and lifestyle.
What excites you about the rise in sustainable consciousness?
My generation has been born into a world of opportunities, of freedoms, of endless possibility. Technology is seamlessly embedded in our lives, making us the most informed generation, connecting us in new ways regardless of locations. From every act we make to everything we say, can be felt globally and for those of us lucky enough to have a voice we can use them to call out injustices, call out brands, demand more from leaders and become the leaders we want to see in the world.
We have inherited a world that faces an existential climate crisis and a lot of social injustice and I see my generation is dismantling social norms through collective efforts.
Rather than being satisfied with the world we inherited; it is our responsibility to build a world we want to live in. The cost of inaction is too great, and we can build the infrastructures we need for humanity to move forward, invest in ideas and solutions that can build brighter futures.
After all, we are the generation of change.
What worries you about it?
Greenwashing … Greenwashing is the practice of making unsubstantiated claims about the environmental benefits of a product or practice.
And it is totally unacceptable as it undermines companies and organisations that genuinely implement measures to be more sustainable. It is especially prevalent in industries such as fashion or beauty where many terms like organic, natural and sustainable are over exploited. These terms and labels unfortunately do not yet have rigid definitions or regulations and therefore exploited to increase profitability.
What are the small changes we can make to reduce our impact on the planet?
If we continue the way we are, producing as many clothes every year, creating as much food waste and discarding single-use plastics the way we do, our ongoing destruction of nature, forests, oceans and the capacity to breathe safe air and drink clean water will be in jeopardy. We are taking without giving much back.
It’s not about becoming so overly conscious that we put ourselves in the difficult position of dealing with a problem that is too big for our brains to process; that way lies cognitive overload that obstructs climate action.
It’s also not about thinking that climate change is someone else’s responsibility and thus a reason not to act. Many of us in the world are comfortable; we feel that our own ecosystems are stable and secure because the effects of climate change are not bang in our faces. Due to this security we can be resistant to change, but when we start to link climate change effects within systems that are close to us, we can start to endure the restructuring of our lives. Our voices and our actions are the most powerful things we have.
When it comes to voting with our money, brands that pass the costs to consumers are a cop-out. Being mindful, where possible, of where and how you shop is incredibly powerful, as you are contributing to a sustainable consumer society.
We can all start today thinking about our plastic footprint and adopt some easy swaps such as going to the supermarket with your own bags, re-use and re-fill water bottles, take your reusable coffee cup to your local coffee shop. Reduce meat consumption.
The list is exhaustive of positive changes and you can also find more tips and small change guides on the Ocean Generation website –
https://www.oceangeneration.org/Blogs/blogs
As well across as social channels @oceangeneration
What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
When I was running Ocean Generation full-time the most exciting thing was the fast-paced go-go-go situation we found ourselves in. We really dived into lots of new mediums such as gaming, events, YouTube song collaboration, which were all so exciting to see how we could use these platforms for the environment. It was also incredibly exciting having the opportunity to meet and work with other climate activist and world leaders!
Now I have taken a step back when Plastic Oceans became Ocean Generation and we launched a bold and more disruptive Ocean Generation Foundation. I now sit on the Board of the organisation. I love getting to have the monthly check-ins with the team and hear all of the exciting new developments for the organisation and see where I can help and build with them exciting partnerships or ventures.
Do you recycle? Should we recycle?
Of course, when we can contribute sustainably to recycling, when appropriate, we of course should, as recycling provides materials for manufacturing and encourages the re-use of wasted plastic. It helps us conserve our oceans by avoiding the need to acquire more natural resources and thus reduces the carbon footprint.
But in simple terms, recycling should be our last resort! The main problem is that plastic never disappears easily – it takes hundreds of years to break down. Our ability to cope with plastic is already overwhelmed and even in the most advanced recycling nations such as Japan and Denmark, the plastic pollution crisis has far exceeded any country’s ability to cope. At home, many items we put into recycling bins, due to certain imperfections are unable to be processed either. Our recycling systems and infrastructures need to be improved rapidly.
We need to first be discouraging overproduction and over consumption in the case of plastic as most of the plastics in the ocean originated on land. Emphasis should be placed on the circular economy and focusing on reusing, repairing and re-purposing of plastic materials.
People may also opt for ‘compostable’ packaging as a better option to recycling plastics. However, often when we buy these ‘compostable’ products believing they will break down in landfills or in the natural environment, it may not always be true if the composability actually requires specific conditions to break down and in the end may contribute to more littering causing pollution.
What thoughts do you have on how we can reduce our threat on the ocean?
Our oceans are in danger of pollution due to the plastic contained in them, oil spills and other pollutants and drinking water supplies are also under threat. More than half of the world’s corals have died due to climate change – more specifically as a result of coral bleaching. When corals experience stress from increased water temperatures or poor water quality, coral ejects a photosynthetic algae, which removes the coral’s distinctive colours. If the stress conditions persist, the coral will die, but if conditions return to acceptable levels, some coral can reabsorb the substance and recover. Recovery is contingent on environmental conditions, so there is still hope.
Given that plastics are one of the greatest threats, reducing our plastic consumption is an amazing way to help our oceans; [As is] reducing and being mindful of where our fish and seafood comes from and to try and always opt for sustainably sourced.
Ocean Generation also has an Ocean Intelligence Framework that is worth checking out to figure out our footprint on the ocean and embraces a sophisticated mix of system change to help our oceans.
How do you take care of yourself? What are your self-care tips?
I love to walk and get my body moving is really an important act of self-care. I walk to and from work every day and even though it’s in the city, I love how every day I manage to observe something new about a building or street.
When I can, I love to swim in the ocean, it is so freeing!
What challenges are obstructing more sustainability in your industry?
After the COVID-19 period, non-profits have taken a significant financial hit with donations flowing in less than before, it makes it very difficult for us to continue our amazing educational work. Finding continuous support is imperative for organisations like Ocean Generation.
In the sustainable business space, I have watched smaller brands and organisations innovate, research and develop sustainable solutions often with little resources and funding. I think it is imperative for larger brands to support and fund these initiatives.
What is on your must see or must read list right now?
Must see documentaries for me right now on Netflix are A Plastic Ocean , Breaking Boundaries: The Science Behind our Planet and A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough.
Currently reading: Bill Gates How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and non-climate related - I love the author Dolly Alderton!
What Good News have you had/heard this week?
England were in the Euro Cup final!
Learn more about Ocean Generation here.