Plastic Oceans International Announces Trees & Seas Festival

Over 20 Events Worldwide • 50,000 Trees Planted • Beach Cleanups
Panel Discussions • Youth Education • Art/Music/Film

February 25, 2021 – Malibu, CA – Plastic Oceans International, in association with ÜÑÜ, officially announces Trees & Seas, an annual festival within its BlueCommunities initiative, uniting ocean and forest conservation in over 20 locations worldwide. The inaugural event takes place August 2 – 8, 2021.

This week-long celebration is produced in partnership with One Tree Planted and Fundacion MERI, all working together with the goal of bridging the divide between land and sea conservation.

“Our mission is to show that we are all connected … one planet, one ecosystem, and in the end, one global community united in an effort to foster a healthier and more equitable planet for all,” said Julie Andersen, CEO of Plastic Oceans International. “We know things will be a bit limited in scale this year, but with our safety plan, our amazing team and dedicated group of sponsors, I’m confident that this will serve as a great foundation for long-term success.”

Each year, one location will act as the primary hub of the festival, with this year’s being Chiloe Island, Chile, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of South America’s iconic Patagonia region – where One Tree Planted is providing 20,000 trees for planting.

“We’re excited to support reforestation in Patagonia as part of this positive and robust conservation initiative,” said Matt Hill, Chief Environmental Evangelist of the nonprofit One Tree Planted. “Connecting land and sea is vital for healthy habitats, and engaging local communities will only further help create a lasting impact.”

In addition to Patagonia, satellite locations will include: Easter Island; Detroit, USA; Mexico City; Santiago, Chile; Douala, Cameroon; Vancouver, Canada; Durban, South Africa; The Galapagos Islands and many others soon to be announced.

COVID-19 contingency plans are in place to ensure that the Trees & Seas takes place at some level. If the in-person components need to be scaled back, our plan still allows for 50,000 trees to be planted worldwide, with numerous cleanups, panel discussions, youth workshops and live entertainment to still be offered – the latter three being done remotely, if required. All World Health Organization guidelines, at the time of the festival, will be followed with no exceptions.

Trees & Seas sponsors include Avocado Green Mattress, makers of eco-friendly mattresses; Natracare, suppliers of plastic-free and biodegradable menstrual products; and a variety of local companies in each event community.

To learn more about Trees & Seas, please visit TreesAndSeas.earth.

About Plastic Oceans International
A US-based non-profit organization working to end plastic pollution and to foster sustainable communities worldwide. We operate with the belief that we can and must act locally in order to create change globally, and we do so through the power of film to empower and globalize community actions. In addition to their global entity, Plastic Oceans has branches in Canada, Chile, Mexico, Europe and the Great Lakes region of the U.S.

About ÜÑÜ
ÜÑÜ is a Chilean non-traditional home decorative brand dedicated to social innovation. Their purpose is to create jobs for the local community of Chiloé Island, keeping alive generations of traditional artisan skills, reforest native lands and to educate about plastic pollution and ocean conservation.

About One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create an impact for nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provide jobs for social impact, and restore biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at onetreeplanted.org.

About Fundacion MERI
Is a non-profit institution that develops scientific research and environmental education, in connection with communities, for the conservation of strategic ecosystems. From natural laboratories located at latitudes 22 °, 33 ° and 44 ° in Chile, they focus on reducing, from different angles, the threats that affect the effective conservation of these territories.