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Charles Moore    

Founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Dedicated to Combat Plastic Pollution

Oceanographer and environmentalist Charles Moore is renowned for his groundbreaking work in combating plastic pollution in our oceans. In 1997, he made a serendipitous discovery that would change the course of his career: while returning home from a sailing race, Moore encountered an immense expanse of floating debris, predominantly comprised of plastic waste. This accumulation, later termed the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch," shocked Moore and spurred him into action.

Algalita Marine Research Institute, the non-profit organization he founded, is dedicated to studying and mitigating the environmental impacts of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems. Under Moore's leadership, Algalita conducts vital research, advocates for policy changes, and educates the public on the urgent need for ocean conservation. His pioneering studies have revealed the widespread presence of plastic debris and microplastics, driving global awareness and policy initiatives.

Moore developed a deep fascination with the ocean from an early age, spending much of his youth exploring the waters off the coast of California. His passion for marine biology led him to pursue a degree in biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Speech Topics


Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans

Captain Moore's famous discoveries led him to become a scientist-activist investigating what others had passed over--the plastic "confetti" created from our floating plastic discards by ultraviolet sunlight and the turbulent waters of a salty sea. In his presentations and his book Plastic Ocean, Captain Moore chronicles his scientific investigations of our ocean's plastic load aboard ORV Alguita, and his impassioned, fiercely unorthodox style of working that results not only in authoring peer reviewed articles in scientific journals, but also in run-ins with skeptical officialdom, controversy, and the media glare of TV shows like Nightline, Late Night with David Letterman, The Colbert Report, and National Public Radio broadcasts. Join Captain Moore, the founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation, for a riveting expose of humanity's "plastic footprint." An acclaimed speaker and international authority, Captain Moore explains in vivid detail his first-hand experience of the alarming consequences millions of tons of plastic waste is having on the marine environment and, ultimately, us.

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