ABOUT THE GROS MORNE REGION
Located in western Newfoundland, the Gros Morne region includes Gros Morne National Park and seven coastal communities who have a rich culture and heritage that’s closely tied to the ocean. This rural part of Newfoundland is home to only 3,300 people but each year they welcome up to 250,000 visitors who flock here to experience and enjoy the beautiful National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The fisheries and tourism sectors drive the local economy which has amazing potential to run sustainably, but we are not there yet. Renewed programs and policies along with improved infrastructure still need to be implemented or developed to ensure this region can truly be coined a Circular or Sustainable Blue Economy. Like many other communities in Canada, Gros Morne is also tackling the over-use and build-up of plastic pollution in their coastal communities and landfills.
Our local BlueCommunities partner in the Gros Morne region is the Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI), an NGO that works on protecting the oceans through education and experiential cleanup actions.
LOCAL GOALS
• General plastic pollution reduction
• Improve waste management systems
• Ongoing research to better determine waste sources
UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
OUR LOCAL PARTNER
Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI) is a registered non-profit organization that works to protect the long-term health of the ocean while creating a more resilient and sustainable blue economy. AHOI’s goal is to build awareness of our changing oceans, and facilitate actions to protect it and the people that depend on it most. AHOI recognizes the need to work together, to look after the marine biodiversity of our ocean and the coastal communities’ way of life. By working together to promote innovative ways to grow sustainable coastal communities and build successful stewardship, AHOI is also helping to create a connected network of healthy oceans and people for generations to come!
ZERO-PLASTIC WASTE INITIATIVE
With the support of Plastic Oceans, AHOI will continue its work on the Zero-Plastic Waste Gros Morne Initiative. This project takes a look at the full life cycle of plastic from the point it is made to the moment we find it discarded, so we can target specific sources of plastic litter and debris. This initiative gathers baseline data on the most problematic sources of plastic litter, which will help inform real solutions to plastic pollution. AHOI is working closely with businesses, town councils, other NGO’s and community members through various programs to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics in local communities, raise awareness about the impacts of plastic pollution, build capacity at the community level and make the Gros Morne Region a leader in the circular economy.