Project BLUE
- Macy Wallace
- Sep 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 30
Business Model
Project BLUE is a NGO nonprofit with an earned income hybrid. Programs would aim to educate people on the importance of ocean conservation, climate change, and recycling. This non-profit would utilize volunteers and interns to educate classes of people on these topics at schools, after-school programs, aquariums, and nature reservations. These classes would discuss the dangers of microplastics, oil runoff, and garbage patches. Volunteers would also lead cleanup efforts by hosting trash pick up parties. Money for the nonprofit would come from donors, selling shirts and merch, and hosting events. Partnerships with other ocean conservation groups would help my nonprofit gain traction and attention from donors. These partnerships would be utilized for building brand credibility and trust within the volunteering and nonprofit community. The goal would be to get people to understand the threat we are to oceans, and to reignite the passion people have for environmentalism.
Problem
Plastic pollution, climate change, and chemicals are damaging entire marine ecosystems at a rapid pace. About 8 million tons of plastic enters our ocean every year, and in the past 10 years, we have made more plastic than in the entire last century. Plastic waste is incredibly problematic because it lasts for such a long time. Plastic items that take hundreds of years to begin to decompose. Microplastic has been migrating up the food chain through animal consumption and is present in the food that we eat, so this pollution negatively impacts humans as well. (National Geographic, 2025.) Communities lack access to education and simplified volunteering. The problem is a lack of passion that almost every age group has for the health of the ocean.
Solution
Project BLUE will educate youth and local communities about ocean conservation by hosting workshops, training sessions, events, volunteer trash-pickup events, and partnerships. The biggest solutions for marine pollution include education, prevention, and cleanup. The real challenge is changing the way that everyone consumes plastic, which will be a challenge and will take a lot of time. National Geographic asserts that “more than sixty countries have enacted regulations to limit or ban the use of disposable plastic items.” (National Geographic, Marine Pollution, 2025) This means that there is a care for the cause, and countries are capable of change. Maintaining this momentum is crucial especially in today's era of overconsumption and overproduction of plastic and waste. Project BLUE will continue to put pressure on representatives regarding this issue, and will do everything it can to educate the public on the ways that pollution affects the environment.
Value Proposition
Project BLUE empowers all age groups to protect oceans in practical and innovative ways. Children are educated in classes and are encouraged to care about the cause. This transforms environmental awareness into real impact. The organization will help to urge politicians and representatives to do something about the cause, and will increase this pressure on these officials by partnering with other organizations to create creative and vivid protests.
Target Customer
The target consumer would ideally be everyone, but Project BLUE knows that by educating youth about the dangers of pollution they have a better chance of creating real change. Sessions and events will be taught and held in schools, including both private and public schools. This would be modified for every age group, K-12. Events would be held at aquariums and nature centers with high foot traffic such as the Georgia Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, or Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Nature centers would include trails and presentations such as the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Locations all over the U.S. would be utilized. Consumers at after-school programs such as the YMCA and local school clubs would be educated and reached out to as well.
Competition Assessment
Some of the competition for Project BLUE is the Surfrider Foundation, which hosts cleanups and environmental education focused on protecting coastlines and waterways. Another one would be Ocean Conservancy, which is a national nonprofit known for the International Coastal Cleanup and policy work. Project BLUE operates on a volunteer-driven model, making conservation accessible locally, thus setting it apart from Ocean Conservancy. Ideally these organizations would be used as partners and would help out because of similar goals. Surfrider does have donation gifts and incentives such as their annual membership t-shirt, which is received with a donation over $100. They have a lot of merchandise, stickers, and a newsletter for donors. Project BLUE would have to match these donation incentives and offer similar ones, in order to compete with the donations given to this group. Additionally, Project BLUE is local community-focused, with educational workshops in schools & youth programs, even in inland areas while Surfrider is a big foundation without local events.
Organizational Structure
Project BLUE is a nonprofit model with volunteer support and merchandise as earned income. This social venture would include a founder and executive director who execute the brand’s vision, partnerships, and strategy. The education coordinator would design curriculum and lead volunteer teacher training. The community outreach lead would manage volunteers, events and partnerships. Additional people would include social media and marketing interns, volunteer event leads, and finance volunteer. There would be a lot of volunteers across the U.S. as well as interns earning their internship credit through the organization at colleges. Partnerships would be made with local aquariums such as SEA LIFE or the Georgia Aquarium. Schools and youth programs would also partner with the organization, as well as eco-friendly brands such as Hydro Flask, Pangaia, or even local small businesses that can help to spread information and host events.
Growth Strategy
The growth strategy for my social venture would be to start local and then branch out. The first year we would pilot in Dallas schools and aquariums and try to figure out methods of best practice based on these schools. The second year we would branch out into other major Texas cities like Austin and Houston. Year 3 we will expand into coastal areas and various states. The marketing interns would leverage social media storytelling as well as current trends to boost our engagement online. The goal for the marketing intern would be to create a lovable and marketable personality for Project BLUE. The organization would partner with national nonprofits to gain attention and credibility. The local media coverage and word of mouth through small businesses, schools, and at events would help the organization attract more volunteers.
Social Impact
Project BLUE will measure success through the education of youth and communities, reduction of plastic waste, and through surveys before and after education programs and cleanup events. Education would be the biggest task that the organization is challenged with, for both youth and adult communities. This would be completed by coming up with new and creative methods of learning both in and out of the classroom. The organization would show the value in environmental education and cleaning in reducing community waste management costs. Social Return on Investment would be measured because it best combines quantitative and qualitative data, which will help donors see the direct and ripple effects of education and cleanups.
Financial Plan
Initial funding needs for the first 3 months would include printing educational materials and craft supplies, which would be around $1,300. Cleanup supplies would also be necessary until donations begin to include supplies, this would be around $800. Website and marketing would be leveraged but would still require money which would be $500. In total Project BLUE would need $2,600 to start. Sources of revenue would include donors and grants, merchandise sales (such as shirts, tote bags, stickers), and sponsored events with raffles and auctions. The estimated costs for the first year would include merch production, event and cleanup logistics, and volunteer training materials. This would accumulate to an estimated $10,000-$15,000, scaling up as we add more locations and events.
Works Cited
National Geographic, Encyclopedia Entry, Marine pollution. (2025). Retrieved from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/marine-pollution/
Trip Advisor, Nature & Wildlife Areas in United States. (2025.)Retrieved from
Surfrider, (2025.) Retrieved from
Ocean Conservancy, (2025.) Retrieved from
Dip N Dive, (2025.) Retrieved from
The MarineBio Conservation Society. (n.d.) Marine Conservation Organizations ~ MarineBio Conservation Society. The MarineBio Conservation Society. Retrieved July 24, 2025, from https://www.marinebio.org/conservation/marine-conservation-biology/organizations/
LexisNexis, How to Fundraise for Environmental Nonprofit Organizations, (April 18, 2023.) from
Philanthropy News Digest, Collaboration for a Change: A Practitioner's Guide to Environmental Nonprofit-Industry Partnership, (April 10, 2004.) from
NCES, Fast Facts: Educational Institutions, (2022.) from
Cabrillo High School Aquarium, from
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