From the Mountains To the Sea: The Inland Ocean Coalition & Stream2Sea

A big part of our mission is the goal of helping educate that all of our small decisions make a big difference to the health of the oceans, and that’s why we love partnering with like-minded nonprofit organizations, as well as being a part of 1% for the Planet. Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting Vicki Nichols Goldstein at EarthX, an international environmental nonprofit connecting a global community to create a sustainable world for all life and future generations. As with all of our nonprofit partners, we are so thrilled to be working alongside her and the Inland Ocean Coalition.

About Vicki

Vicki Nichols Goldstein is the founder and Executive Director of the Inland Ocean Coalition. She has been an ocean junkie for most of her life, growing up in the mud flats of Southern New Jersey and hauling whale bones around New England.

Vicki has worked in the nonprofit and ocean conservation field for over twenty-five years from Washington, D.C. to Santa Cruz, Calif., addressing a multitude of issues including vessel traffic, sustainable seafood, oil spill contingency planning, Marine Protected Areas and fisheries interactions. She also worked for NOAA on a variety of Marine Protected Area initiatives. She has a Masters in Environmental Studies and Marine Policy from Yale University.

Basically — she’s a powerhouse and we are grateful to know her.

About the Inland Ocean Coalition

The Inland Ocean Coalition’s unifying charge is to develop a two-way relationship with the ocean and water. Those who live among mountains, rivers, and inland cities have a direct impact on the cycles of life in the ocean. As the nation’s first Inland Ocean Movement, their goal is to be a wellspring for literacy and community engagement across North America as well as:

1. Unite inland communities to educate and enhance knowledge of land-to-sea stewardship issues and solutions
2. Facilitate community building through education, action, and involvement via local chapters
3. Reach new audiences with the importance of our land-to-sea connection and the easy ways that people can get involved in protecting our ocean and waterways

Community and Perseverance

We love everything the Inland Ocean Coalition is doing — we are especially drawn to their passion for education and activating communities with purpose. They have educational programs on ocean protection, watershed health and plastic pollution. These are all major parts of the difference we are striving to make, and we encourage you to check out their education program and our Stream2Sea Learning Center so you can be equipped to share ecoconscious tips with your family and friends this summer!

If you’re passionate about single-use plastic reduction, be sure to check out their campaign that is free to download so you can bring change to your local restaurants by getting rid of plastic straws!

We are so inspired by their grassroots approach to spreading the word. Over time, chapters are growing, ideas are carried to more and more people, and those people are creating action plans to save our waterways.

They do all of this even though they’re landlocked; you don’t need to be next to the ocean to help protect it. As we hope you are aware — all streams flow to the sea! It is just as important for the overall health of the oceans that we make ecoconscious choices upstream as it is downstream.

To support our partnership with the Inland Ocean Coalition, be sure to shop on our website using their coupon code for 10% off your total purchase, with an additional donation to their organization: INLANDOCEAN

Get Involved

1. When you’re buying a sunscreen product, make sure it contains minerals rather than harmful chemicals. You can find reef safe mineral sunscreen at Stream2Sea.
2. Encourage your favorite retailers to offer reef-safe options and minimize their selection of damaging chemical sunscreens.
3. Spread the word to your friends and family.
4. Take the Safe Sunscreen Pledge.
5. Utilize the campaigns through the Inland Ocean Coalition.
6. Volunteer to help the Inland Ocean Coalition.
7. Volunteer at your local river, lake, watershed, or ocean.
8. Join an Inland Ocean Coalition Chapter near you.
9. Take advantage of the educational resources from the Inland Ocean Coalition and Stream2Sea Learning Center.
10. Donate to causes you care about, and support companies who make a difference—do both when you shop our store using coupon code INLANDOCEAN.

Let’s get to work, folks! Be sure to share about the amazing resources the Inland Ocean Coalition provides with your friends and family. Remember, there is strength in numbers.