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National Endangered Species Day is today, May 20, and organizations like The Ocean Cleanup are having an important impact on conservation efforts.
After seeing plastic pollution during a scuba diving trip in Greece at the age of 16, Dutch inventor Boyan Slat knew something had to change. Slat’s passion for ocean conservation grew, and after giving a TedX talk, he became an important figure in the industry.
In 2013, Slat founded The Ocean Clean Up, which plans to reduce floating plastic by 90% by 2040. To date, the organization has removed a total of 1,274,948 kg of trash worldwide.