National Geographic Logo - Home
    Photo by Sara Jaye Weiss for DAVIDOFF Cool Water
    Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

    Loving the Ocean Starts at Home for Scott Eastwood

    San Diego resident Scott Eastwood champions Davidoff’s commitment to clean-up local beaches as part of their Love the Ocean campaign.

    Published September 8, 2016
    • 4 min read
    This content was written by and is brought to you by our sponsor. It does not necessarily reflect the views of National Geographic or its editorial staff.

    A sunny Sunday morning draws crowds to San Diego’s Ocean Beach in California. It starts with a single piece of trash: it’s only one plastic bottle discarded on the sand after a great day out. How much harm can it do? To Davidoff Cool Water Ambassador Scott Eastwood the answer is simple: too much. “Many people don’t realise that plastics don’t break down but often turn into microplastics which are then eaten by fish,” he says. Estimates suggest that by 2050 our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by weight, and while the oceans cover 70% of our planet less than 3% of our seas are protected. “Oceans are the giver of life,” continues Scott. “We can’t ignore this problem.”

    It’s this realisation that has inspired Davidoff Cool Water to partner with National Geographic in the Pristine Seas Initiative. Pristine Seas, under the direction of National Geographic Explorer in Residence Dr. Enrique Sala, is on track to expand the world’s protected ocean areas to 10% by 2020. With Davidoff’s support Pristine Seas expeditions are finding, surveying, protecting, and even restoring the last wild places in our oceans. Already, the initiative has secured protection for an additional three million square kilometres of ocean while inspiring a new understanding and appreciation of our seas.

    However, for many of us ocean conservation can seem too big a problem and too remote from our everyday lives to get actively involved. But Scott Eastwood is adamant that individuals really can make a huge difference. With an estimated 80% of ocean pollution starting on land the best way to beat pollution is by preventing it from ever reaching the sea. To help this happen Davidoff is encouraging individuals to demonstrate their love for the ocean by supporting beach clean-up programmes all around the world. On Sunday, July 10th this saw Scott joined by National Geographic explorer Shah Selbe and hundreds of local residents to pick trash from the shores of his home town of San Diego.

    Photo by Sara Jaye Weiss for DAVIDOFF Cool Water
    Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

    Armed with gloves, bags, and sunscreen, adults and children combed the beach collecting trash that ranged from glass bottles to tin cans to all manner of plastics. The trash was taken to collection points where it was carefully sifted and inventoried to identify the worst offenders. This information is contributing to a wider database that is helping to identify exactly what is polluting our beaches and seas. The San Diego Surfrider Foundation that helped to organize the event picked up over 80,000 cigarette-ends last year and enthuses about the significant improvements that resulted simply from banning alcohol on local beaches.

    “Seeing the damage this pollution causes really makes me want to get out there and make a difference,” says Scott. And it’s with a profound sense of purpose and camaraderie that a movie star, a scientist, some surfers, school children, and all manner of San Diego residents came together for a couple of hours to collect trash on a Sunday morning. This was much more than community spirit at work, it was tangible proof that while it may be only one plastic bottle on the beach—picking it up and disposing of it properly is all it takes to make a real difference to the quality of our oceans and the quality of all our lives.

    Visit love-the-ocean.com for more information.



    Read This Next

    Origami's revolutionizing tech, from medicine to space
    • Magazine

    Origami's revolutionizing tech, from medicine to space

    The centuries-old art of folding paper is yielding new applications in spacecraft, architecture, and even the human body.
    • Magazine
    • Feature

    See the innovations origami inspired in the world around us

    The Japanese tradition of paper folding has long inspired artists. Now it’s blazing new trails in science and design.
    Clothing from 1600s shipwreck shows how the 1 percent lived
    • History & Culture

    Clothing from 1600s shipwreck shows how the 1 percent lived

    First thought to belong to an English lady-in-waiting, the lavish silk clothing from a 17th-century Dutch vessel is just one of many mysteries surrounding the last voyage of the Palmwood Wreck.
    A Q&A with Nikole Hannah-Jones on ‘The 1619 Project’
    • History & Culture

    A Q&A with Nikole Hannah-Jones on ‘The 1619 Project’

    Nikole Hannah-Jones discusses how the project reframes the role of slavery in American society “in ways that we don't know.”

    Legal

    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your California Privacy Rights
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • About Nielsen Measurement
    • Do Not Sell My Info

    Our Sites

    • Nat Geo Home
    • Attend a Live Event
    • Book a Trip
    • Buy Maps
    • Inspire Your Kids
    • Shop Nat Geo
    • Visit the D.C. Museum
    • Watch TV
    • Learn About Our Impact
    • Support our Mission
    • Nat Geo Partners
    • Masthead
    • Press Room
    • Advertise With Us

    Join Us

    • Subscribe
    • Customer Service
    • Renew Subscription
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Work at NatGeo
    • Signup for Our Newsletters
    • Contribute to Protect the Planet
    • Pitch a Story

    Follow us


    National Geographic Logo - Home

    Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved