Heidi Tait has always been an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, so when she was working as a scuba instructor and started finding rubbish everywhere, her only option was to act. In 2004 Heidi founded Tangaroa Blue Foundation (TBF) as a way of addressing the ever-increasing threat of marine debris in our oceans. Through the TBF Heidi introduced the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI), which is a growing network of communities, schools, industries, government agencies and individuals focused on reducing the amount of marine debris washing into our oceans. Heidi was named one of the “18 Most Influential Women in Ocean Conservation” in the July 2018 edition of Ocean Geographic and has been featured in multiple interviews as one of Australia’s foremost Ocean Innovators. In this compelling conversation, Rich and Heidi cover many important topics, starting with the big picture of why there is so much marine debris and where it is all coming from. They then focus on solutions – specifically how Heidi and her partners are utilizing their network and data system to not only remove garbage from the ocean, but also to stop it at the source. Additionally they cover many other subjects from recycling to cigarette butts to her connection to Jack Johnson. Heidi is a true ocean hero out there every day working to protect the ocean we all love so much!

Tangaroa Blue Website: tangaroablue.org

Heidi Tait LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/heidi-tait

Tangaroa Blue on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TangaroaBlue

Tangaroa Blue on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tangaroablue/

#tangaroablue: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tangaroablue/

Tangaroa Blue Foundation: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAXY1VwEKxlV5wpltnydnjQ/videos

Tangaroa Blue on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangaroa.blue

Tribute to Heidi: https://www.tangaroablue.org/a-tribute-to-heidi-and-all-of-you/

Ocean Innovators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln9iosw_mVs

Operation CleanSweep : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH-TUG6L_VQ

Big Beach Cleanup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH-TUG6L_VQ

Ocean Decade Conference: https://www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/heidi-tait.html

AMDI App: https://www.tangaroablue.org/resources/clean-up-data-collection/amdi-app/

Life a Beach: https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/lifes-beach-finding-trends-marine-debris-across-australia

Charity Register: https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities/63ddb3da-38af-e811-a962-000d3ad24a0d/profile

Donate to Tangaroa Blue: https://www.tangaroablue.org/about-us/donate/

“If all we do is clean up, that’s all we’ll ever do.”  - Heidi Tait.

TO SUGGEST A GUEST YOU CAN REACH US here: guest@ourepicocean.com or email the Executive Producer here: Steve@project-o.org