Behind The Scenes

Inside the making of The Ecopreneurs episode 11 The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) is an isolated 1350-mile stretch of islands and atolls that make up the world’s largest protected conservation area. Yet, even though the area is uninhabited, 115,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear gathers on its shores and in its coral reefs each year. Today, a backlog of nearly 1 million pounds of plastic “ghost nets” have accumulated on the island. This massive collection of human-made pollution is the result of the plastic waste problem, and it’s putting the 7,000 species of wildlife and 23 endangered species that live on the conservation area in danger. The nonprofit Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) is working to eliminate the threats caused by marine debris by removing entanglement hazards and other dangerous waste from the monument’s reefs and shorelines. On average, the team removes 6,500 pounds of marine debris per day during its expeditions. For the latest episode of The Ecopreneurs, Salesforce and FORTUNE Brand Studio traveled to Hawaii to meet PMDP founder and president Kevin O’Brien and his team and find out how they safely conduct these critical marine debris removal missions. For a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the episode and a closer look at how the PMDP team is cleaning up these critical ocean ecosystems, check out the video above. Then, head over to Salesforce+ to watch the entire episode.

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Behind the scenes with Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project

MEET THE ECOPRENEUR: Kevin O’Brien of PMDP.

EXPLAINER: See how PMDP is reducing the effects of marine debris to its lowest levels.

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