Greenwich, CT - February 14, 2025
Foundation House’s Activist Residency provides changemakers with the time, space, and environment to advance their work in community. From February 3-8, we welcomed Oceanic Global, an organization dedicated to reconnecting humanity with the ocean and restoring balance to our Blue Planet, for a week of strategic planning and collaboration.
As part of our commitment to amplifying impact, we’re launching Voices of Impact, a new interview series highlighting leaders driving meaningful change. Our inaugural conversation with Lea D’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global, sets the stage for more inspiring discussions to come.
Video highlights and full transcript below.
Lea D’Auriol founded Oceanic Global after witnessing the beauty and destruction of the ocean firsthand, launching Oceanic Ibiza to unite artists, policymakers, and nonprofits in collective action.
Oceanic Global drives systemic change through grassroots education, business initiatives like the Blue Standard, and global advocacy, including producing the UN’s World Oceans Day.
Oceanic Global addresses a wide range of ocean issues—such as overfishing, deep-sea mining, and plastic pollution—by partnering with local organizations, businesses, and global coalitions to drive targeted impact.
Oceanic Global’s activist retreat provided a crucial in-person space for team-building, creative strategy, and adapting to global shifts, leading to a more focused three-year plan for the organization’s programs.
Everyone has a role to play in ocean conservation by mapping their sphere of influence—whether through personal choices, business practices, or advocacy—while the rapid regeneration of marine life and the growing availability of solutions offer hope for a sustainable future.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Part 1
Richard: Lea, we're going to talk today about you and Oceanic Global, and also about the activist retreat at Foundation House. So first, tell me about you and why oceans.
Lea: Okay, my name is Lea D’Auriol. I grew up very much on the ocean, actually. So my whole childhood was sailing, swimming, any kind of ocean activity. But I also was born and grew up in Hong Kong. And Hong Kong is one of these really interesting places where over 50% of the land is protected. You have over 2000 islands, but you also really see the human impact on the environment. So there were days where the ocean was so polluted that you couldn't go in because of the red tide. And the contrast of that is we also had pink dolphins, and like the beauty and that amazement around it. So from a very young age, I started to see our human impact on our ecosystems, but specifically for me, through the ocean lens, because it was my happy place, essentially. And then in 2015, the Paris Climate Change Agreement was being negotiated, and I read an article that said we had 10 years before our human impact on the oceans was completely reversible. I now know it doesn't work that way, but I went home that night and I drew out our first big event that took place a year and a half later, called Oceanic Ibiza. And that event is really the starting place of the foundation. It was a one day event that brought together over 5000 people around ocean conservation on the island of Ibiza. It had two different policy outcomes. It brought together musicians and artists and nonprofits. We had over 40 different nonprofits from around the world, different speakers, etc, really highlighting the importance of the ocean. And we realized we had something here by bringing people together around these shared passions and creating educational programming with specific policy goals. Things could really move forward. So that was the birthplace of it.
Richard: That was quite an undertaking. Were you actually an organization then?
Lea: No
Richard: Okay, so you're going to hold this big conference... event?
Lea: We called it a festival, actually, at the beginning. And I remember, I was on holiday. I had two weeks a year off. I was living in New York at the time, and I came back to New York, and I said to a group of friends, “Oh my god, I have this crazy idea to do this festival for the oceans”, and they all joked, and they were like, “I'll do your PR for free” and “your communications”. And you know, a lot of our board members are still involved. Seven and a half years later from that initial kind of gathering point.
Richard: And you were kind of ahead of the game, right? Don't you think? I mean, there are obviously ocean groups, but more, in my sense, kind of about the water. And you think of Cousteau and others, but what I think you're doing, being advocacy and awareness in a global way.
Lea: So what we found was there was a handful of organizations in the space, like the Oceana is a really big ones, and the only actions you could do were post to clean up or join a board, which was a $50,000 or more entry point. And there really wasn't any middle ground at the time on how to really get involved around these issues. And that's where we started. It was like, how do we mobilize around ocean conservation? Because the reality is, the ocean doesn't belong to anyone. It's over 70% of the surface of the planet. Most people are so disconnected from it, but the ocean sustains all life on Earth. So our goal was reconnecting people back to the ocean as the lifeblood of the planet, and starting to realize our reliance on this amazing ecosystem too.
Part 2
Richard: So let's go into Oceanic Global. Tell us about your work with that. And how do you engage people and so how can people then lean into this?
Lea: Yeah, so from that starting point with that event, essentially, what we realized is, when we did this event, we designed it to be really holistic. It was: how do we meet different levels of community on a small island to shift these goals? And so you take an island like Ibiza, we were working at a general awareness level. We were working with businesses, because there's a huge hospitality industry, so we needed the hospitality industry to eliminate single use plastics. We were working with the media to educate people around this. We were working with the government on policy outcomes, and we very much left that event and took that model moving forward. It was: how do we bring in ocean action at all different levels of stakeholder engagement? We really believe in systemic change here. So now, when we look at our program areas, we have our grassroots actions through education and campaigns. We work with businesses through a program called The Blue Standard, which is around shifting operating practices. And through that specific program, we've worked with over 400 businesses in 55 countries. And then at an institutional level, for the last seven years, we've partnered with the United Nations and we produce World Oceans Day. Which is now the largest ocean gathering. So for the last three years, on average, 200,000 people tuning in, day of.
Richard: What month is that?
Lea: That’s on the 8th of June.
Richard: June, 8th. Okay.
Lea: And actually, this year's theme is going to be “wonder,” and it's going to open up the UN Ocean Conference, which is the most important gathering in the ocean space, where it's essentially like COP for climate, but for Oceans.
Richard: Great. So there's not actually a COP for Oceans, per se.
Lea: No, not in the same way
Part 3
Richard: Yeah. So when I think about oceans, or when one thinks about oceans, there's so many different elements of this. How do you even kind of focus in? I mean, it's a lot. And you think obviously about marine life, right? And the plant life as well, the pollution, plastic, what are the major sort of issues and areas, and then do people sort of grab onto one or the other?
Lea: Yeah, so the ocean space is extremely complex, as you just touched upon. I mean, you just talked about, like, the amount of biodiversity or even, and this is one of the big things that we've tried to do with our work, is linking oceans to these much larger narrative points. So you can't talk about biodiversity without talking about ocean protection. You can't talk about climate without oceans because the ocean regulates the climate. So none of these things work in silos there and then within the ocean space, there are so many issues, from overfishing, for example, to deep sea mining to creating marine protected areas. So the way that we do it is, instead of focusing just on one issue, we'll actually work with a lot of different coalition partners that are also specializing on the ground. We try and stay true to our name with global, so with that, we need to have local partners there and so on specific campaigns we may work on one specific issue or with one specific program with, for example, The Blue Standard, with working with businesses that's very much focused on the issue around single use plastics and eliminating that from operations. So each programming campaign will focus on a specific issue there. And we– that will also vary depending on like, what is on the agenda, for example, and how do we mobilize that impact.
Richard: And so I hear, I heard individual actions– grassroot, corporate, the UN you know, NGO world as part of that, but governments themselves. Do you work with them? Oh, I'm sure they're critical for this.
Lea: Yeah. So we also have a community for arts program, and so we've worked with specific programs with governments there. So for example, we'll work with implementing The Blue Standard in a country like Barbados. So that will be some sort of government involvement there, or through the UN we work with a department called Dewalis, and they're working on specific politicians which engage different governments on capacity building. But I would say governments are less… it's where we spend probably the least amount of time, we see them as a really important stakeholder in moving our agenda forward versus doing a lot of capacity building, one on one with them.
Richard: Got it, got it.
Part 4
Richard: So, the activist retreat. This is your second one, quickly on the first one, and then what has developed since then? And how was it, and what's going to come from it?
Lea: So the first one was two years ago. So one of the biggest shifts for us is: when COVID happened as a team, actually, most of us were based in New York prior to that, and then we went fully online, and so as an organization, that really shifted how we worked. So when we came together for the first activist retreat, that was the first time that actually a lot of us were in a room together and spent a week together, and that was a huge change for Oceanic not only from the strategy that was being, you know, kind of being developed in real time, but also just like the team building. What I realized leaving that retreat was, it is so important to have these in person moments, because the creativity that comes out of it, the trust has been built is then able to be sustained through the Zoom calls, but at a minimum, we do need to come together once a year to connect in that way. So that was a huge gift, essentially. And there was so much that came out of it in terms of our thinking and our program areas and helping to streamline. I think what we've seen this week, for example, is the landscape is shifting so much, globally our systems are shifting; How oceans are being held within a global narrative, the political climate, etc. And so we're having to adapt a lot as this really small nonprofit within the space. We are having to be reactive to these larger situations. And so having the space to come together and do a lot of design thinking in person and mapping out our challenges, I don't know if we would have kind of gotten to where we have if we hadn't had this in person.
Richard: So is it… Are there changes in strategy, or more focused strategy, or both?
Lea: We've actually, yeah, we've decided to drop a few things, and to really kind of have a very clear direction, actually, over the next, kind of three years, on some of our programmatic directions. So it's been a big kind of starting point, I think, as we start 2025, to be this is how we're going to be aligned. This is where I've started, like what needs to happen, and it's really, I would say, set us up for success, actually, and being able to do it in such a sanctuary, actually, where you kind of can cut out the noise of the outside world and just go, let's focus in on oceans right now. Let's focus in on what we're here to achieve is really beautiful. So thank you.
Richard: No, thank you. I mean, Foundation House has this, you know, amazing property and building, but did you get out and walk around as well?
Lea: It is, you know, early February, so still quite cold. We had a snow day.
Richard: Well, if you’re from Ibiza!
Lea: Exactly. Um, so we've had a few walks outside, but I, I think we probably be utilizing outside a lot more if it was a different time of year
Richard: Well, you’ll have to do the next one in the summer.
Lea: Exactly.
Part 5
Richard: Well, great. Two more questions: What can I do as an individual? It's such a big topic as we talked about before. How can I enter? That would be number one. And I'll ask a second question after that.
Lea: Okay, so the first, the way I think about this is mapping out your area of influence. So what are you doing every single day where you have the most influence? Are you investing? If you are investing, moving away from fossil fuel investments. If you are operating a business, looking at how your business can shift its operating practices like, what are the, kind of, you know, larger systemic shifts you can make there. At a day to day level, we are all purchasing food, so being really aware of the types of food that you're purchasing, I think especially on the seafood side of things, you know, staying away from certain types of species that are high up on an extinction list, for example, or on the endangered list. And then there are really simple things like composting, being aware of your energy uses, your water usage, etc. So the way that I kind of look at it is like mapping out, kind of your life, and then seeing, like, what are those opportunity points. But I think it's really easy to get stuck on just… just the food component or just the plastics component, and we forget these, like much larger areas where we can really move the needle forward.
Richard: Very interesting. So kind of influence and impact, really.
Lea: Exactly.
Richard: And can one join your organization? Could one be a member of your organization, for example?
Lea: Yes. So we have a hubs program, which is essentially like our volunteer based program. And we also have different advisors, ambassadors. So for us, community engagement is key. We know we can't do this alone. When we're talking about the ocean doesn't belong to anyone in the– as we shared earlier– the issues are so large. So there's so many entry points. If it's you as an individual wanting to, you as an industry leader wanting to and bringing your business behind it, there's, yeah…
Richard: So everybody should sign up for Oceanic Global.
Lea: Everyone should sign up for Oceanic Global.
Richard: Okay good, so final question. In this sort of crazy world– but I try to look at it in an optimistic way as well, we're all trying our best with the things we care about–What makes you positive about the future and as it relates to oceans?
Lea: I think when you are working in the ocean space, what we've seen is that if you put the proper measures in place, let's take a primary example of a marine protected area. If you create the conditions for marine protected areas and it's properly implemented, ocean life will rebound so much faster than what we expected. So the opportunity for renewal and rejuvenation is huge. And I– that's what gives me hope. It's like, it's so tangible. You can see it. We just need to do it. And I think, you know, when I think about when we started Oceanic, seven years ago, a lot of the solutions weren't available. We were talking about this as a team, actually, yesterday we were saying, when we launched one of our programs, Blue, there was one single paper straw company. Now there are thousands, you know, and that's within a really short period of time. And it's the same thing across every single industry. So it's like, the solutions are available, the knowledge is there, we have the technology that's making this really accessible and, you know, open source, it's really about implementing it. And I also feel like, as nature is speaking so loud through the fires, and you know, all the different extreme situations that we're facing right now, people are realizing we can't continue to operate this way. We have to coexist with nature. We have to come back into balance. And so my hope also is really bringing in that ocean lens too. And we're thinking about nature, it's not just the forest. The oceans are also the lungs, so coral reefs, etc, so really starting to highlight the importance for these ecosystems.
Richard: Wow, great. Thank you so much.
Lea: Thank you!
Richard: And thank you for coming into the residency also. Second time!
Lea: We're so grateful.
Richard: We look forward to doing work with you together, in the future, and you're doing great stuff, so…
Lea: Thank you.
Richard: Really appreciate it, for the planet and the oceans too.
Lea: Thank you so much.
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