Beast of an effort to clean up oceans and save life
Arun Krishnamurthy is the founder of the Environmentalist Foundation of India.
By HEMANT KUMAR
RANCHI:James Steven Donaldson , popular as Mr Beast , the YouTuber who uses his online clout for social causes, is working on his new project 'Team Seas ', wherein he plans to remove 30 million pounds of ocean waste. Donaldson, in partnership with fellow YouTuber Mark Rober , plans to take out 30 million pounds of ocean waste by raising $30 million and finish cleaning by January 1, 2022. The idea of this initiative is that every $1 donation takes out 1 pound of waste from the ocean. Till December 7, 2021, 17,643,000 pounds had been taken out.
This is not the first time Mr Beast has worked for a social cause. Last year, he launched Team Trees, a project under which 23 million trees were planted. Even after completion, the initiative continues to receive donations. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk donated $1 million for Team Trees.
John Lewins from the Team Seas support team emphasised the importance of keeping oceans clean and told Times of Bennett in an email interview: “The ocean and the life within it are incredibly important. Aside from the water we drink, the ocean produces half the air we breathe every day. So, it’s a no-brainer that keeping it clean and healthy is critical to our survival.” Speaking about his inspiration for the project, he said: “Unfortunately, our ocean and rivers are full of plastic trash. Pollution from bottles, bags, straws and abandoned fishing gear is a health crisis. So, we partnered with Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup to clean the dirtiest oceans, beaches and rivers,” he said.
“Ocean Clean-Up is a non-profit organisation that uses technology for cleaning of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans around the world. The big machines pick up the waste and bring it back to the shore,” Lewins explained.
The top donators of this initiative include Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify who donated $1,200,001, and Erik Bergman, an entrepreneur who donated $1,200,000. In addition, The Bikoff Foundation donated $1,000,000 to the cause. Companies like Patreon and YouTube Originals also came forward and donated $500,000 and $400,000, respectively.
“The efforts being put in this initiative by James and Mark are commendable,” saidArun Krishnamurthy , founder of the Environmentalist Foundation of India, adding, “This initiative, on being completed, has the potential to save millions of fish and other aquatic fauna. First Team Trees and now Team Seas, this man is really changing the world alone.”
According to Social Blade, the most reliable source for YouTuber’s income and statistics, Mr Beast is among the highest earningYouTubers of all time with an estimated net worth of $25 million.
RANCHI:
This is not the first time Mr Beast has worked for a social cause. Last year, he launched Team Trees, a project under which 23 million trees were planted. Even after completion, the initiative continues to receive donations. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk donated $1 million for Team Trees.
John Lewins from the Team Seas support team emphasised the importance of keeping oceans clean and told Times of Bennett in an email interview: “The ocean and the life within it are incredibly important. Aside from the water we drink, the ocean produces half the air we breathe every day. So, it’s a no-brainer that keeping it clean and healthy is critical to our survival.” Speaking about his inspiration for the project, he said: “Unfortunately, our ocean and rivers are full of plastic trash. Pollution from bottles, bags, straws and abandoned fishing gear is a health crisis. So, we partnered with Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup to clean the dirtiest oceans, beaches and rivers,” he said.
“Ocean Clean-Up is a non-profit organisation that uses technology for cleaning of rivers, lakes, seas and oceans around the world. The big machines pick up the waste and bring it back to the shore,” Lewins explained.
The top donators of this initiative include Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify who donated $1,200,001, and Erik Bergman, an entrepreneur who donated $1,200,000. In addition, The Bikoff Foundation donated $1,000,000 to the cause. Companies like Patreon and YouTube Originals also came forward and donated $500,000 and $400,000, respectively.
“The efforts being put in this initiative by James and Mark are commendable,” said
According to Social Blade, the most reliable source for YouTuber’s income and statistics, Mr Beast is among the highest earning
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