Ocean Friendly Establishments

12/02/2025

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Local company wants to turn landfill trash into fuel, New Hanover County skeptical
https://portcitydaily.com/latest-news/2025/11/28/local-company-wants-to-turn-landfill-trash-into-fuel-new-hanover-county-skeptical/

11/15/2025

Huge thanks to Lighthouse Beer & Wine for their $200 donation and partnership at the Carousel Beer & Wine Festival! 🍻
Not only did they leave the space cleaner than we found it, but as one of our Ocean Friendly Establishments, they walk the talk, using compostable products whenever possible, serving with reusable glasses, and recycling everything they can.♻️
Cheers to sustainable sips and ocean-friendly choices!

Learn how YOU can become an OFE in our !

📸: thank you for the amazing footage and photos!

11/07/2025

Highlighting some of our newly certified Ocean Friendly Establishments! 🩵🌊

These businesses are reducing plastic waste and supporting a cleaner community. 🌿♻️

•Audi Cape Fear: Refillable water station
•The Crafty Krab: Electronic correspondence
•The Birdhouse: Biodegradable garbage bags
•NHC Landfill: Reusable insulated water bottles for staff
•Well-Fed Ed: Straws upon request
• King Neptune’s: No single-use condiment packets

Learn more and apply at www.oceanfriendlyest.com! 🌊

10/24/2025

This week we want to highlight The Crafty Crab as our newest Ocean Friendly Establishment! 🎉🦀

The Crafty Crab is owned and operated by Cheryl Kanzinger. Cheryl created the Crafty Crab to create a creative space for everyone while keeping our local beach’s safe and clean! 🌊🩵

The Crafty Crab practices a number of sustainable efforts some of which include: collecting gently used and new art materials for resale, reusing bags and packaging from customers, repurposing furniture found secondhand, recycling appropriate materials and much more! 🌿♻️🌍🩵

We are so excited and proud to be welcoming The Crafty Crab to the OFE initiative! 🌟🌊

Make sure to check out POP and PureClean Essentials through the link in our bio! 🩵

09/19/2025

This week we wanted to welcome Scrub Be Love as a new Ocean Friendly Establishment!! 🎉🌊

Scrub Be Love’s founder, Dominique Pastorlo, shared this video explaining how Scrub Be Love came to be! 🍃🌊

Scrub Be Love specializes in biodegradable dish sponges which are 100% plastic free. The sponges are made from coconut coir and wood pul cellulose. 🥥🪵

Scrub Be Love practices a number of sustainable habits including but not limited to: plastic free packaging, biodegradable and compostable products, recycling, and even partnering with Clean Hub! 🌿🌿

We are so excited to be welcoming Scrub Be Love to our initiative as a 5-Star Ocean Friendly Establishment! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

To learn more about Scrub Be Love and their fight against plastic pollution make sure to check out their website!scrubbelove.com

Make sure to check out our website through the link in our bio or through www.plasticoceanproject.org

♻️

09/12/2025

This week we want to highlight to The Bird House 🕊️, located in Rochester, New York for being an Ocean Friendly Establishment since 2022! 👏🎉

The Bird House was founded in 2009 and specializes in selling all things bird! Seeds, houses, feeders and more. We are so proud to have them on our team and of their dedicated work to keeping our oceans clean. 🕊️🌊

📸 Pictured here are co-founders Patti Pirz on the left, Laura Barrows in the center, and POP’s cofounder Bonnie Monteleone on the left. Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission. 💙

Make sure to check out our website through the link in our bio or at www.plasticoceanproject.org 🩵

01/24/2025

Welcome to the Program Beach Bagels & Subs!

We are pleased to welcome Beach Bagels and Subs on Wrightsville Ave to our Ocean Friendly Establishment program! This two-star OFE uses paper straws, paper to-go bags, and provides vegetarian options on a regular basis.

This award winning bakery cafe serves baked-in-house bagels and sub rolls made in the traditional New York style. Beach bagels was founded in 2012 and now has 4 additional locations in the Carolinas.

Thank you for choosing environmentally sustainable practices to run your business!

11/19/2024

Join us Thursday November 21st at 4pm - 5:45pm for the 30th Annual Film Festival to watch the screening of The Cigarette Surfboard. Winner of Best Feature at the 2024 Surfalorus Film Festival! The screening will be held at Thalian Black (Thalian Hall) for $25 per ticket.

“An impassioned surfer, Taylor Lane, creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. The Cigarette Surfboard soon becomes a platform to learn from professional surfers who are working to protect and restore the health of the ocean and the symbol of a grassroots campaign to hold Big To***co accountable for their toxic, plastic waste.”

Filmmaker Ben Judkins will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening! Let us come together to discuss this important topic.

11/13/2024

Town hall SATURDAY!

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A campaign opposing the proposal of a 4,030-unit development in Castle Hayne is gaining traction, as the county begins to assess a by-right project poised to sprawl across 4,039…

10/09/2024

Calling all OFE businesses, you might be interested in stopping by Waterline Brewing Company to look at some amazing bling and supplies.

Oh and don't forget to vote for POP today:
https://tinyurl.com/4du8tnt3

Are you looking for sustainable bling for your business or fun family reunions? Join us at Waterline Brewing Company from 2-5. You might get free bling but will definitely learn about some amazing products through a NC homegrown business Plus. Kristina Newsom

Oh and don't forget to vote for POP today:
https://tinyurl.com/4du8tnt3

10/02/2024

Plastic Ocean Project has been selected as a finalist for the Land Rover Defender Community Service Awards. Thank you Land Rover Cape Fear for the nomination. We are up against 4 other wonderful NGOs. With the loss of our van due to the horrific accident I was in in May, we could truly use a new SUV to help us continue our work.

Please consider voting for Plastic Ocean Project. You can vote once a day up until 10/17. You can also watch our video if you swipe right a few times after entering this link.

Much love and gratitude.

Five incredible nonprofits were selected as finalists, and the public will now vote for the winner of the new Defender 130. View the finalists and vote now through October 4, 2023.