An Interview with Ocean Advocate Nancy Downes

You Can't Have a Clean, Safe Ocean Without Less Waste and More Reuse

I first met Nancy Downes at Green Road Refill, the eco-refill shop on Cape Cod that I do a lot of work with. With a strangely similar background in living in California and working in the music industry leading to actively trying to make the world a better place, we became fast friends and cohorts. Since then, we've teamed up on a few events, including a virtual coffee chat where I didn't have any coffee to drink! Nancy's work is focused on the ocean, but if there's one thing that has become glaringly obvious around the world, you can't have a clean, safe ocean without less waste and more reuse.

1. So, you work for Oceana, one of the leading Ocean conservation nonprofits. What is the organization all about and what does your role entail?

Thanks so much for your interest in Oceana! Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. The organization campaigns in nine coastal countries and the European Union for science-based policies that stop overfishing, protect habitat, increase transparency, protect our climate, curb plastic pollution, and increase biodiversity. As Field Campaigns Manager in Massachusetts, my work is focused on passing strong (local, state, federal) policies to reduce the production and use of single-use plastics, stop any new offshore oil drilling leases, and reducing threats to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, including entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with boats.

2. You clearly have a passion for our oceans, as you're an avid surfer too. What drew you to the ocean?

My love of the ocean goes back to childhood summers enjoying the beaches of Cape Cod with my family. Long walks along the beaches of Harwich Port with my Mom, bodysurfing the waves of Nauset beach with my Dad, and in my late teen years attending summer camp in Ocean Park, Maine. During a family trip to Hawaii in the early 90’s I signed up for my first surfing lesson at Lahaina Harbor in Maui, and was immediately hooked, and have been surfing ever since.

3. In the surfing world, how much does reuse come into play?

The surfing industry could do a lot more to prioritize reuse. Most surfboards are made from (polyurethane) foam, fiberglass cloth and resin with a surprising amount of waste generated in the production process (offcuts of fiberglass, excess tape and resin, stir sticks, foam dust, etc.) Wetsuits are primarily made of neoprene, a synthetic rubber. There are a handful of thought-leaders in the surfing industry leading the way to research and develop more environmental and sustainable / zero-waste solutions. This includes recycling EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam blanks and running excess plastic waste through high density plastic shredders to be recycled back into the board manufacturing process. Some wetsuit manufacturers are exploring petroleum-free rubber alternatives (natural rubber and limestone neoprene) and repurposing recycled PET plastics into the inner linings of wetsuits, as some examples of reuse.

4. So, while I'm certainly a solutions guy, we do have to address the problems. Where do you see the most waste in your daily life?

Hands down, the most waste I see in my day-to-day life is in excess plastic packaging. From food items commonly purchased at the grocery store, to the ways items are packaged and shipped from online retailers, we tend to over-package just about everything. There are certain fruits and vegetables that come with their own natural wrapping (bananas, oranges) yet we often see these items individually wrapped or bundled in plastic bags. Online retailers will sell items wrapped in plastic, sometimes double wrapped, then surrounded by excessive plastic peanuts or air bags, often bundled in another shipping (“jiffy”) bag or oversized box that does not get reused or recycled.

5. In your personal experience, how do you think recycling has worked and NOT worked as a solution to waste?

Recycling does not appear to be working, according to most studies around the world. As plastic pollution became a more noticeable problem in the late 70’s into the 1980’s (my teen years), recycling was sold to us as a solution by the plastics industry (we all remember the crying native American Indian commercial – paid for by Keep America Beautiful, founded and funded by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo), putting the responsibility of cleaning up plastic waste back on to the consumer vs. the producers.

6. How do you think the U.S. could step up the solutions to our waste problem? Have you seen or heard of anything anywhere else?

The US / Federal Government needs to pass strong policies that would significantly reduce the production and use of single-use plastics. Some countries have successfully passed strong policies regulating plastic packaging & plastic bags, and have significantly reduced plastic pollution (Ex: Rwanda, Kenya, Iceland, Sweden). Not surprisingly, island nations with limited resources and limited space for landfills and-or limited funds for waste management infrastructure tend to lead the way.

7. It's funny. I always tell people that reusing is nothing new. It’s been going on long before we were here. Do you have any memories of your parents or grandparents reusing in unique ways?

My grandparents had a house in Shrewsbury, MA and I have vivid memories as a child of the milk man delivering milk in glass bottles to the back door. My grandmother would scoop the thick cream off the top of the bottles to make butter, and used bottles would be put back in the metal crate outside for the milk man to take back for refilling. My grandfather took old canning jars and screwed the cap of the jars to the wooden rafters in the basement, and he would fill the glass jars with used nails, screws, nuts, bolts and other mechanical fasteners and hardware to be reused around the house on future projects. We also had a monthly delivery of potato chips from Charles Chips, which came in a metal tin, and we would return the old tin upon receiving the next delivery.

8. Do you have any notable stories about saving money on something because you bought it used instead of new?

I wish I had a calculator that could tell me the total amount of money saved by buying used items vs. new… it would probably be a LOT of money saved! I’ll share a more recent proud moment, where I purchased a used painting from a local thrift store for $10 and repainted the canvas to make my very own Jackson Pollock knock-off of “Summertime 9A” for my mid-century modern living room.

9. Have you ever taken anything out of the recycling bin or trash to reuse somehow or maybe found something on the side of the road?

Absolutely! I have no problem with dumpster-diving to save a perfectly good item from ending up in the landfill. My neighbors constantly throw away brand-new cardboard boxes that I reuse for storage or shipping items, and garden or patio items that I have repurposed in my own garden. Numerous furniture items in my home come from Facebook marketplace, yard sales, or thrift stores.

10. And lastly, what’s the best thing that you ever got used and why? Got a photo?

The BEST thing, by far, is “Big Blue”, my 9’8” Dive ‘n Surf longboard that I bought used from a former boss when I worked at Surfrider Foundation. I think I paid $80 for that surfboard and have created over a decade of amazing surfing memories on that board. I also have a few cherished pieces of jewelry handed down from my mother and grandmother… and of course, a STAY VOCAL T-Shirt from you! 😊

To learn more about Nancy, Oceana, and see more surfing photos of her,

head over to Nancy's Instagram here.

To order the "713" T-Shirt that Nancy is wearing in her profile photo,

head over to the STAY VOCAL Shop.