THOMAS
New Year - new and more Ocean Heroes! Our first Ocean Hero for 2022 is indeed a true inspiration. Thomas Nielsen, manager of the Instagram account @ifyouseeedontletitbe sees cleanups as a duty, and also a bit of a sport!
SAVING THE OCEANS, ONE TON OF COLLECTED TRASH AT A TIME
Thomas has lived in Læsø for the past four years, but feels like he's been connected to the island all his life. With his grandparents being involved in the dairy business and owning a shipyardin Læsø, he feels that the town itself and the ocean surrounding it has had a big impact on his upbringing - earlier it felt like a playground, and now as a true part of him.
Our Ocean Hero is concerned with the amount of damage we impose and keep imposing on our oceans and marine ecosystems.
"All the marine litter I and others collect is only what washes up and is visible. Despite the fact that I collected over one ton in the first eighteen months since I started, I feel it is nothing in the grand scheme of things."
IF YOU SEE IT DON'T LET IT BE
Thomas told us that he generally finds it disrespectful when people just walk away and leave their trash, or see trash and do nothing. However, admits that he himself looked the other way the first 37 years of his life. Thus, there is always hope that people change their mindsets every day, and that the fight for ocean conservation isn't for the few but for the many!
"I definitely see it as a duty, see it as a bit of a sport. The more and the bigger, the merrier 😂"
#TAVAHA
Thomas feels that taking care of our oceans is vital to our own survival. He puts his faith in the younger, sustainably-minded generations, who can radically change the world as we know it.
In his interview, he mentions Seashepherd, an international non-profit organisation with the mission to protect all marine animals, as his own inspiration and real heroes.