Boyan Slat is changing the world with his innovative nonprofit. The Ocean Cleanup is dedicated to ridding the world’s oceans of plastic debris. Click here to watch the full interview.

“When I was 16 years old, I was scuba diving in Greece and I saw more plastic bags than fish. And I wondered why can’t we just clean this up?” he explained. “I then enrolled at the University of Delft, I started studying aerospace engineering. And at some point in time I had to make the choice, am I going to fully focus on the university right now or on this cleanup project?”

Slat initially struggled to raise money for the project but found success in crowdfunding. He eventually raised $2 million, making his one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history.

After five years of research and development, the first Ocean Cleanup system is finally going to be deployed. With the plastic they procure, Slat wants it to be turned into products that people will be able to buy, which will hopefully fund more cleanups.

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