TEENY WEENY BIKINI MAKES BIG IMPACT TO SAVE OCEANS

OCEAN ZEN

Trash that is polluting our oceans is being turned into little treasures that are helping to save our oceans.

OceanZen, founded by Australian marine biologist Steph Gabriel, creates swimwear that is made from recycled fishing nets and plastic bottles that have been removed from the oceans.

More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year, according to Plastic Oceans, a global network of independent not-for-profits and charitable organizations, united in their aims to raise awareness and inspire action.

The plastic is choking sea life to death -- both literally and figuratively. Sea creatures get caught in tangles of plastic fishing nets, fishing lines, and six-pack harnesses.

It can take over 1,000 years for plastic to break down. And even then, it causes damage. Chemicals ingested and leaching from plastics are toxic, both to sea life and, all the way up the food chain, to humans.

The fabric used to make OceanZen’s sustainable swimsuits starts out as pieces of plastic that have been dredged from the sea. The plastic is cleaned, finely chopped,then processed and spun into thread and twisted to form yarn. The yarn is further processed to create high quality lycra.

If you think plastic fabric would feel hard and scratchy against your skin, you’ll be surprised to feel how soft this ocean-saving lycra is.

The material used in Ocean Zen’s latest “Summer Somewhere” swimwear collection is called Econyl. It's made by Italian firm Aquafil, which also supplies carpet and other clothing manufacturers.

Gabriel started OceanZen when she was a university student. She was inspired to do something to help the marine environment while working part time as a marine tour guide in the Cayman Island, as she saw firsthand how marine life and coral reefs were being hurt and killed by tourism and pollution.

An avid surfer and diver, Gabriel has strong opinions about what makes an ideal swimsuit. She has designed the entire range of sustainable swimwear herself. Given that the bikinis are teeny weeny, we hope Gabriel will soon expand her line of life-saving fashion to include beach coverups, shoes, flippers, hats, beach bags, and more.

Gabriel is currently working to build OceanZen to its own sustainable level, so it can share a percentage of its profits with eco-friendly groups and causes.

Gabriel, also gives back by working part time in marine education in schools with Queensland-based program Ocean Life Education. She is passionate about educating as many people as possible about our oceans and the life they support. Check out her Instagram to see more of her gorgeous ocean images.

Read more about Ocean Glory in Indulge in Eco Luxury & Help Save Oceans Too.  

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman wearing OceanZen recycled plastic bikini holds starfish next to stunning stingray.
2. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman wears OceanZen recycled plastic bikini on beautiful beach.
3. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Women wearing OceanZen recycled plastic bikinis explore the ocean in OceanZen bikinis.
4. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Sea turtle caught in plastic fishing net.
5. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Steph Gabriel, founder of OceanZen, swims with beautiful stingray.
6. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Women model OceanZen recycled plastic bikinis on beach.
7. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Women walk along beautiful beach in OceanZen recycled plastic bikinis.
8. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman in OceanZen recycled plastic bikini swims with beautiful whale. Tonga.
9. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman wearing OceanZen recycled plastic bikini plays with sand, underwater, in the Bahamas.
10. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman in OceanZen recycled plastic bikini swims with magnificent whale. Tonga.
11. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Steph Gabriel, founder of OceanZen, smiles in one of her OceanZen recycled plastic bikinis.
12. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Woman wearing OceanZen recycled plastic bikini swims toward magnificent whale. Tonga.
13. Image: by BN App - Download now!
14. Image: Courtesy of OceanZen. Steph Gabriel, founder of OceanZen, snorkels with a playful seal.