Councillor Brennan Fitzgerald won't be running for another term on Morinville council later this year. Instead, he will focus his attention on cleaning litter from the ocean and waterways across Canada through his new social enterprise, SEA Change.
Councillor Brennan Fitzgerald won't be running for another term on Morinville council later this year.
Instead, he will focus his attention on cleaning litter from the ocean and waterways across Canada through his new social enterprise, SEA Change.
For each piece of clothing sold, the business has promised to pick up three pounds of trash that has washed ashore.
“Growing up on oceans really gives you a respect for how important oceans are to our everyday life,” said Fitzgerald. “It's a passion and connection that has stayed with me.”
Fitzgerald grew up on the southeastern coast of Canada, in a province best known for its friendly community and thriving fishing industry: Nova Scotia.
Because the province is almost surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the polluted waters are well discussed among locals. Fitzgerald says it's common knowledge that the open sea is under attack from litter and waste.
“We all grew up knowing that this was an issue. Scientists are predicting that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050,” he says. “It's a big problem.”
On March 11 SEA Change will launch a Kickstarter campaign, where clothes can be purchased online for the first time.
Fitzgerald says he's optimistic the Kickstarter will go well, and says SEA Change has already received international attention for the campaign and for the clothing line.
How it works
SEA Change is available online where people can purchase hoodies, shirts, mugs and more. For every clothing item sold, a monetary portion will go towards production and another towards cleaning up the environment.
A live tally will keep track of how many pounds of trash needs to be picked up versus what has been cleaned up to date, which people can see online. Fitzgerald says this number will be constantly fluctuating as numbers change.
As money is raised he'll connect with communities that have shorelines – such as lakes, rivers and beaches – and create small clean-up events.
“The goal is to create community around the value of oceans environmentalism and conservation.”
While a one-for-three equation seems optimistic, Fitzgerald wanted to raise the bar of social enterprise. He says similar businesses will promise to give back one item for every item sold, such as Toms, which donates a pair of shoes for each pair sold.
“I wanted SEA Change to try to go above and beyond that one-for-one model. Three-for-one forces the brand to really focus on the mission of cleaning up oceans,” he said. “That's at the core of what the company represents.”
He says the first place he will focus clean-up efforts will be in Nova Scotia, where he has community and connections.
From there, he'll look at the North Saskatchewan River and possibly the coastline around Vancouver. Over time he hopes to plan large community-wide clean-up events in places across Canada.
For more information on the company and Kickstarter visit www.seachangeclothing.com.
