Monday was my daughter’s 8th birthday. We celebrated in a quiet, Covid-friendly way - making spider-decorated vegan cupcakes at home, and then hitting the beach with her cousins. I was lost in thought for hours watching them play with the pure abandon of children at the beach in summer.
As I sat watching the kids frolic in the waves, I realized it’s been a long while since I had the time or the space to reflect on why I’m at 5 Gyres 10 years later, still passionately committed to our work.
We’re at a moment in history when each and every one of us needs to look even deeper at how we can best contribute to making a better future for us and our planet. We also need to reflect on what motivates us to move forward towards this ambitious – but necessary - goal.
For me, what has emerged over the last 20 years of purpose-driven work, as cliché as it might sound, is people coming together around a common dream, and lending their skills, talents, energy, and resources to making the world a better place. When we, at 5 Gyres, can come together to help one another realize these dreams, we all win.
In 2010, we began creating community around people driven by a passion for stopping ocean plastic pollution. A small group of intrepid, adventurous people joined our early expeditions to research plastic across the world’s oceans, leaving creature comforts behind, braving hurricanes and long, cold nights on watch, yet bonding over the experience that for many of us was a dream come true. More than 40,000 nautical miles and 4 years later, we realized our first big dream - to share with the world the first, scientific report on plastic in the world’s oceans.
In 2015, we worked with our growing community to realize our next big dream - turning science into policy - with three years of research and campaigning, we, along with hundreds of activists, were able to enact Federal legislation, banning plastic microbeads from personal care products.
Today, in 2020, we're collectively pursuing a much bigger dream - to expand our understanding of plastic pollution to include equity, justice, and health. Through the coming together of a larger movement aligned under the Break Free From Plastic banner, we're all shifting our focus further upstream and examining the intersections between plastic pollution, environmental racism, climate change, and public health. We have a long road ahead of us, but this coming together is a win that we can all celebrate.
A few weeks ago, we learned the bittersweet news that a valued member of 5 Gyres, Executive Director Air Copeland, was offered his dream job as the Executive Director of a new arts and culture organization in Long Beach called Compound. Our initial sadness over his departure was quickly replaced by celebration: finding a job that aligns with one’s higher purpose - especially during an unsettling period of a global pandemic - is certainly cause for celebration!
But I also realized something else Monday afternoon, while gazing at the sea as my daughter celebrated her 8th milestone. Reflecting yet again on the complex nature of culture change - when any single one of us finds our voice, our place in the world where we can best contribute to positive change, it’s a win for all. To see progress towards the world we all dream about, where values of equity, sustainability, and justice are paramount, all of us need to find our respective spaces and platforms to connect, do good work, and support one another.
I know I speak for everyone on the small but mighty 5 Gyres team, we celebrate this win for Air, and for the greater world - the ripple effects that emanate when we connect our passions with our actions are incalculable.
We are as excited and inspired as ever to do this work alongside you: protecting people and planet from the impacts of plastic pollution, and supporting emerging leaders on this journey with us. This is our dream, and we’re grateful to share it with you.
 
Anna Cummins
Co-Founder and Interim Executive Director
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As part of our mission to promote a planet free of plastic pollution, we work with our corporate partners to reduce their plastic footprint and engage their communities in raising awareness. We are proud to be featured in the most recent 1% newsletter, and to see that our partners at Bank of the West have also joined the 1% network. Working to reduce plastic pollution also means looking closely at where our money is being invested and transitioning away from a fossil fuel culture. We applaud Bank of the West for divesting from fossil fuels to support renewable and regenerative systems. By aligning our funds with our values, we can win this together!
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5 Gyres was featured by 1% For the Planet as a top org fighting plastic pollution 365 days a year!
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Our bank, Bank of the West, has divested from fossil fuel business investments and gives 1% back to the planet through their checking account products. #proud
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