Sustainable Coastlines: Protecting the Shores We Love

At Goodsole, we believe in more than just selling sneakers – we're committed to making a difference in the world. That's why we created Treadlightly™, our way of restoring the balance between people and the planet. With every purchase of Goodsole sneakers, we automatically plant a tree in your nominated region, as well as give you the opportunity to help us support important local charities. One of the options is Sustainable Coastlines, a charity that brings people together to reduce plastic pollution and other litter, to protect our moana. They operate within NZ and inspire change through education, beach clean-ups, and litter data collection.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the amazing team at Sustainable Coastlines for an exclusive interview. We wanted to dive deep into their inspiring mahi, understand what drives their passion for the ocean, and learn about the incredible impact they're making to our precious shores.

The idea for Sustainable Coastlines was born in 2008 when Sam Judd, James Bailey and Zach Beard went to surf and volunteer at the Galápagos National Park. Shocked to find the uninhabited coastlines spoiled with litter, they started clean-up efforts themselves before deciding to get the locals on board, motivating 300 people to remove 7.5 tonnes from the remote San Cristóbal Island.

Back in Aotearoa, they pledged to continue their efforts. Sam and James joined forces with Camden Howitt in 2009 to launch Sustainable Coastlines with our first signature event: a massive clean-up on Aotea Great Barrier Island. We brought together 700 volunteers and removed more than 2.8 tonnes of litter.

Returning the following year with more than 1,000 volunteers, we removed another 3.1 tonnes of litter. This showed us that beach clean-ups alone are not enough: we need to stop litter at its source. Since then, we have always incorporated education into our clean-up days, inspiring people to make changes in their day-to-day lives.

Increasing our focus on stopping litter at its source, in 2019 we officially launched Litter Intelligence, our national litter monitoring programme. Litter Intelligence sees dedicated citizen scientists survey their local beach four times a year, feeding high-quality litter data into the database. As well as informing action in schools, communities, and businesses, this data has been used in government reports, including those that informed the current phase-out of problem plastics.This shows the power of citizen science and litter data to bring about real change for the beaches and wildlife we all love.

We host beach clean-ups around Aotearoa — they’re free and whānau friendly. People can find out more and sign up at sustainablecoastlines.org/events.

We start the day with a briefing that covers health and safety and reminds everyone what they’re there to protect. At SC, we often quote Jaques Cousteau, ‘People protect what they love’. Aotearoa has beautiful beaches and most people are already beach-lovers. By framing the situation positively rather than just pointing at the problem, people are much more motivated to do something about it.

Fun is at the heart of our clean-ups: if people are inspired and having fun, the rest just flows from that. Everyone gets a pair of gloves and a sack, and the clean-up begins! We also run a Litter Intelligence survey with those keen, so we get real insights into the type of litter we’re finding on the day. We get to see a lot of ‘aha’ moments: if someone picks up a whole lot of plastic ice-cream spoons, they’re probably going to order a cone next time!

Back at base, we play some games that get people thinking about how litter ends up where it does and coming up with ideas for change. We finish off the day with a celebration, usually in the form of some delicious kai and Phoenix drinks. Providing volunteers with a positive experience is our number-one priority. It’s also more likely to motivate people to keep up the good work.

We learnt early on that getting people involved starts at the level of community — people aren’t going to sign up to a beach clean-up or litter survey if they don’t know who we are. That’s why we make sure to engage as many community groups as we can in our clean-ups to support and expand the amazing mahi they’re already doing. Community groups will bring their own volunteers on board and also ensure that word gets around about our event. We love being a part of bringing people together around a common purpose, and we also know this approach is most likely to lead to long-term change. 

This isn’t a problem we encounter often! Most Kiwis love the beach, and when they see litter on their local stretch of coastline, they know something needs to be done. Some people have the impression that Aotearoa’s coastlines are pretty clean, which is when you can point them to the litter data we collect at insights.litterintelligence.org.

Currently (as of 26 September 2024) the data shows an average of 310 pieces of litter on every 1,000m2 of coastlines we survey. While these range from a 5mm plastic fragment to something the size of a fridge, this shows that we have a problem that needs some solutions.

People can also filter to explore the data from their local coastline. It’s worth noting that just because a site may have low litter density, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. Tides and currents have a huge role to play in where litter ends up — as is the case in Fiordland, where we found more than 30 times the national average of plastic bottles on totally remote coastline!

We’re honoured by the awards and recognition that Sustainable Coastlines has received over the years, and we’ve created some really impactful programmes. But for our team, nothing compares to the feeling we get when our participants just ‘get it’. Often volunteers will tell us that they didn’t previously realise the scale of the problem and now they’re inspired to do something about it. Empowering people to take action is what we’re most proud of.

We love to end a clean-up by asking people to “Be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you are today.” Keeping our oceans free of plastic pollution is a journey; nobody expects you to go full zero waste, but the influence you can have in your sphere can make a big difference in the long-run. Join a community clean-up, get yourself a reusable drink bottle and coffee cup, and go from there. 

For every Goodsole pair purchased, you have the opportunity to help Sustainable Coastlines. Simply scan the QR code on the inside of your shoebox and select Sustainable Coastlines and we'll donate to them on your behalf. By choosing Goodsole sneakers, you’re not just investing in a quality product—you’re making a meaningful difference.

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All images provided by Sustainable Coastlines.