- A few years ago, my next guests were just two dudes
going on a surfing trip to Bali,
which is awesome, sounds fun.
It was an adventure that change their lives, though.
Now it's changing the fate of the planet.
Please welcome from 4Ocean, Andrew Cooper and Alex Schulze,
today's Rad Human.
(crowd cheering)
(rock music playing)
That's our Rad Humans, that's what that is.
(laughing)
- [Kelly] Explained just for you.
Explain what 4Ocean is.
- [Alex] So 4Ocean's an ocean cleanup company
that Andrew and I started about three years ago.
We were on a surfing trip in Bali, Indonesia,
saw crazy amounts of plastic on the coastline
and in the ocean,
- [Alex] And we wanted to do something about it.
So we started by selling a bracelet
made from recycled materials and for every one sold,
we'd remove a pound of trash in the ocean.
- That's amazing! So why bracelets?
- So we wanted to is give anyone anywhere in the world
the opportunity to clean the ocean,
regardless of how far they live from a coastline.
What bracelets do is that it's pretty much gender-neutral
and it goes with any outfit.
It's also that reminder that stays with you
for every action or decision you make.
Just look down at your bracelet
and you can make that change.
- [Kelly] That's really cool! So cleaning up our oceans
is important to you both as well, right? Alfre and...
- Yes, definitely. - One hundred percent.
- I mean, I'm Aquaman.
(crowd cheers) - That's right
I mean, it's kind of a no-brainer to go.
- [Kelly] Kind of my thing, I don't know if you know.
How many pounds of plastic have you recovered and recycled?
- [Alex] So we're stoked to say our teams
are working incredibly hard seven days a week,
just recently passed our seven millionth pound of trash
removed from the ocean.
(crowd cheers)
- [Kelly] I mean yes, but think like, oh my god,
there's that much trash in the ocean.
- [Andrew] Oh yeah.
- And there's still so much to go
and that's so much trash, right?
Who does that? Who just just throws stuff out in the ocean?
Who are you?
I don't understand who does that?
- [Andrew] That's actually a really good point to bring up
and it's not a mysterious ship that's just
cruising our shore throwing the plastic over.
What we're finding is that all the plastic
that we're collecting from our beach cleanups
and offshore on the boat is that it's coming from land.
So it's land-based sources.
It's plastic that people are using everyday
and it's not getting discarded properly
and it ends up back in the ocean so
one of our biggest messages is like
we gotta stop it at the source and stop it on land.
- [Kelly] Amen. Yes, I'm in.
So I feel like us humans sometimes,
unless it directly impacts us on a daily basis
it's just out of sight, out of mind,
and it's gonna directly impact us at some point.
I mean it already is, like open your eyes.
It's such an important thing that y'all are doing
and I'm so thankful that y'all are here so
you have products as well
that are more than bracelets, right?
- [Alex] Yes, absolutely. - [Andrew] That's right.
- And people can buy these and that money
goes towards helping, right?
- [Alex] Yes, yes. Absolutely. So every product purchase,
we remove a pound of trash from the ocean.
Yep, so we're coming out.
So we started with a bracelet that was kind of
our first stepping stone into, you know, starting 4Ocean.
And now we're offering different tools
to reducing plastic consumption.
So reusable mugs, reusable bottles, shopping bags, cutlery,
basically any item to reduce single-use plastic consumption.
- That's really cool! (crowd cheers)
So beyond buying 4Ocean products, how can people help?
If people are at home right now going,
"I'm not going to the ocean,
I'm not doing this, like, I'll recycle."
Like what can they really do?
- [Alex] So we kinda look at that as three different ways
that people can help the ocean plastic crisis.
One is reduce and eliminate
your single-use plastic consumption.
So bring that bottle, bringing that shopping bag,
bringing that different tool so you don't have to continue
to purchase all these items wrapped in single-use plastic.
That's one way.
Number two is keep the conversation going, right?
All these posts on social media,
everybody having a conversation,
it's an opportunity to raise awareness
about ocean plastic and exactly what's happening
and keep that conversation going.
And number three is, we need to hold brands accountable.
Right? If we could come up with sustainable alternatives
to that single-use plastic,
then we can come up with a solution.
Like Jason right here, he's got the Mananalu
which is offering water in aluminum cans
and giving people the option to use aluminum
which is 100% recyclable, over plastic.
So it's little things like that.
- This is you, right? This is your new line.
- [Jason] Yeah.
- Yeah. What made you start this? Yeah.
- Because, I mean, I lived the single-use plastic life.
I mean I'm constantly on an airplane,
I'm constantly in a hotel traveling, you know,
on the airplane we'll see, you know,
there's a Coca-Cola can, there's a beer can,
there's sparkling water, and then there's this
goddamn plastic bottle that's like a shot of plastic
that's three different types:
the wrapper, the bottle, then the cap.
It is not recyclable at all.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- Absolutely going into a landfill
or it's going into the ocean, like just ban it.
And the plastic itself going into your body?
- [Kelly] That's what I was about to say.
- [Jason] It's not even good for you
- I just had blood work done
and I have so much plastics in my blood. You have no idea.
It is directly impacting you. How much plastic is around is
and how it seeps into us, like.
- [Jason] Just this of it lies in the top of the ocean
makes them like 15% of what you're actually saying.
Because the amount of nano-tech, I mean like,
it's gonna blow your mind and if you do the research.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- So nano-plastics. But just on the surface with,
I'm trying to do and these gentlemen are trying to do
just to collect that, is a whole wave change.
We just have to rethink everything that we're doing
and be conscious of it.
Sometimes it awesome that you have that
to constantly remind yourself but like,
we've had things that can do to change, I mean.
Bring your water bottle, fill it up, drink from home,
have you bring a tap, whatever you want to.
But when you go out and it's still getting made.
So even if I do wanna live the clean life,
seeing those plastic bottles are still made.
And so I wanna be able to make a change.
- [Kelly] And it's a pint of can. If you don't demand...
- [Jason] Yeah, but be able to go to these bigger companies
and go, you need to change.
I want an option, there's no options.
And so I made Mananalu because it's the way
and then I'm Aquaman as well, I gotta do something.
- That is so smart. So smart.
(crowd cheers)
So audience these rad humans want you to be a part
of this global movement as well.
So they're hooking each one of you up
with a 4Ocean reusable gift bag.
There's a hat, bracelet, reusable water bottle,
a T-shirt, and a metal straw
so you can also reducing how much plastic you see,
how much plastic we use.
This is such a cool thing. I'm so in.