The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded $1.5 million in grants to Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i (SCH) and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP) to fight plastic pollution threatening the state’s coastlines, oceans, and communities.

The grants of $750,000 each will enable both entities to scale their efforts to remove plastic from shorelines of the Main Hawaiian Islands and from the reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument). They will also expand awareness through scientific data collection, compelling storytelling, and hands-on education that invites people around the world to be part of the solution.

Photo credit:Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi