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About Back to Blue

Back to Blue is a national movement to heal our waters. Our mission: restore the health of freshwater ecosystems by protecting what’s left and repairing what’s been harmed. It began in Tampa. Founder Michael Beck watched his local rivers choke with trash and his neighbors lose hope. Instead of turning away, his community grabbed bags and buckets and went into action. Together, they pulled garbage from rivers, demanded stronger protections, and tried to hold the line. But the tide kept turning. Red tide blooms grew worse. Trash piled up faster than it could be cleared. Manatees began starving to death. The crisis had outgrown any single town. “The truth is, not everyone in this country has an ocean to care about,” Beck says. “But everyone has a lake or a river that matters to them. I may not be able to change the world, but I can take care of my corner of it and hopefully spark others to do the same. If each of us takes responsibility for our piece of the puzzle, together we can build something enduring, something that will protect our waters for generations to come.” That vision stretches beyond cleanups. Beck imagines a future where waterways are safeguarded by smart technologies and automated systems. Solutions like bubble barriers that intercept plastic before it reaches open water, filtration booms that trap pollutants, and other innovations that can keep rivers pristine without constant human labor. Back to Blue champions these tools while also fostering collaboration to invent new ones, uniting scientists, eco-tech startups, and national brands to scale solutions across the country. Water is life. Clean water is a right. And now more than ever, we must act. Join us and our partners across the nation as we go Back to Blue, together.

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