Signe Simonsen has long cemented her position as one of the champions of the world's oceans. She founded the non-profit organization Race for Oceans Foundation in 2019, aimed at focusing on the UN's Sustainable Development Goal number 14 – life in the ocean – and in this context, the increasing plastic pollution.

Two years later – in 2021 – she said goodbye to her well-paid permanent job in Copenhagen to dedicate all her time to combating plastic in the oceans.

Today, she resides permanently in Løkken with the North Sea as her closest neighbor, and it is here that Race for Oceans wishes to establish a place that can create a learning environment where locals and tourists can gain knowledge about "Life in the Ocean." Race for Oceans already organizes a wide range of activities based on the beach and the sea.

– We have a desire to expand with a workshop featuring a learning program that contributes to addressing the challenge we face, says Signe Simonsen.

The workshop "The Ocean for Everyone" is aimed at both children, young people, and adults with physical and mental challenges, as well as tourists and locals. It begins with a trip to the beach, where participants gain insight into the ocean's biodiversity and thus achieve an understanding of why it is important to protect the marine environment.

– The workshop is structured as a three-hour module, which includes a beach cleanup along the stretch between Løkken and Blokhus beach. Here, we collect waste, examine the seaweed we encounter on the trip, and learn about the organisms found on the beach, says Signe Simonsen.

Afterwards, participants gather at a physical location where they gain insight into future technologies that can assist in collecting the plastic found on the beach and in the ocean, which cannot be collected by hand.

– We have spent the last more than 80 years throwing plastic pellets (raw material used to make plastic products) into nature, so we will likely need just as many years to clean up. However, we cannot tackle the plastic challenge by hand, and therefore it is necessary to look at how robots, AI, and drones can help us in the future with this task, says Signe Simonsen.

Race for Oceans has suitable premises in Løkken in sight, but no lease agreement has yet been made.

– We depend on more companies and foundations choosing to support the project before we can enter into a lease agreement. Our hope is that other foundations and companies can see the importance of putting even more focus on the significance of a clean ocean, which is essential for all life on Earth, says Signe Simonsen, who expects around 25,000 participants annually to take part in the activities facilitated by Race for Oceans.

Important effort for a clean ocean

The couple Margit and Kjeld Andersen established Sol og Strand Holiday Home Rental A/S in 1979. The couple has now transferred ownership to a foundation with the desire to both preserve and develop the business in Danish hands and to support charitable and local causes. Thus, a long-standing dream has come true.

– For us, it is important to support the effort for a clean marine environment. Not only does it matter for the many guests who book a holiday home by the Danish coasts, but it also significantly impacts our climate and future generations that we tackle the large amounts of plastic on the beach and in the ocean, say Margit and Kjeld Andersen.

In total, the foundation donated nearly three million kroner in 2023, and the expectation is that this amount will increase in the future.