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Our Purpose
Our Mission
to engage diverse communities in ocean conservation and climate action
through shared, immersive learning experiences.
Why?
We have less than 10 years to solve climate change.
We're running out of time, and we've got a lot of work to do.
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We need to work together to solve it.
Climate change is a global problem that needs all hands on deck.
We need collective inspiration, and coordinated action.
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Our ocean is one of our greatest allies in that fight.
Our ocean regulates the weather, provides millions of tons of food, and enables life to exist on this planet. It has also been soaking up much of our extra CO2 ,and storing most of our extra heat.
We need to keep the ocean healthy in order to survive climate change. We need more communities to value and protect the ocean, and to find and support climate change solutions.
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Connecting with the ocean is challenging.
The ocean is difficult to explore and study: we know less about the ocean floor than we do about the Moon. For many communities, the ocean is simply out-of-sight, out-of mind. For others, institutional and cultural barriers have put it impossibly out of reach.
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We need to give more communities access to explore the ocean.
We need to make the ocean and conservation more tangible.
We need to involve more communities in creating and sharing solutions.
We need to bring the ocean to the people.
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Our WORK
We connect communities with the ocean.
We use emotionally resonant, immersive experiences to transport people beneath the waves.
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We connect communities with the science of climate change.
We work with researchers and conservationists to translate the science and tell the stories of climate change around the world.
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We connect communities with each other.
We create shared spaces where people can explore and learn, talk about priorities and values, and collaborate on solutions.
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We connect communities with solutions.
We tell stories of research, hope, and solutions to provide the path, the tools, and the motivation to act.
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We connect the global community to work toward collective change.
Introducing the OceanLab:
We're building the future of public ocean exploration.
OceanLab is a portable, flexible, shared immersive space that simulates an underwater research lab.
Immersive
We create our immersive audiovisual experiences using real video of the actual ocean, sharing the most beautiful, fascinating, and important places on our home planet.
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Interactive
We create unique content to share the stories of the places we visit, as well as leverage publicly-available resources to broaden access to ideas and solutions.
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Shared
Shared experiences allow communities to explore together, have conversations with our knowledgeable crew, and discuss the challenges and solutions to climate change.
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Portable
OceanLab is built inside a standard shipping container, able to take advantage of global transport logistics.
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Flexible
Our modular design allows us to operate individual units in an open-air design, or combine two or more to create fully immersive experiences.
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Contact Us
Would you like to host or sponsor an OceanLab in your community? Want to collaborate on a project? Other curiosities, comments, or connections?
Send us a message using the form below!
Want to stay in the loop? Sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Our Story
This project began as a virtual submarine on wheels named OLLIE.
OceanLab is the evolution of a mobile immersive experience called OLLIE, which traveled several thousand miles and brought the ocean to thousands of people in 2019.
OceanLab is the next generation of portable immersive experience, built on the valuable lessons we learned while building and running OLLIE.
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Read more about OLLIE here.
Our Team
Patrick Flanagan
Founder and CEO
Board of Directors
Courtney Leader
Strategic Energy Innovations
Jon Leland
Kickstarter
Advisory Board
Join Our Team!
We’re growing our team committed to improving how communities connect with our ocean while redefining the way a progressive, multicultural, equitable organization looks and runs.
If you're interested in joining us, whether as a board member, volunteer, collaborator, or crewmember, send us an email at info@oceanlab.org.
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TOOLS
Want to learn more about the changing ocean and climate?
We've gathered our favorite free interactive tools for exploring how the ocean and climate work, and for learning about 21st-century challenges and solutions. Check them out on our Tools page:
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Support our Work
OceanLab is built with your support.
Join our growing community dedicated to promoting ocean research and conservation. Share our mission and work with your friends, family, and colleagues.
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OceanLab Inc. is currently in the process of applying to the IRS for 501(c)3 tax exemption. In the interim, we have partnered with Maritime Gloucester, a 501(c)3 nonprofit museum based in Gloucester, MA, to be our fiscal sponsor, receiving tax-deductible gifts and donations on our behalf. Under our fiscal sponsorship agreement, donations made to Maritime Gloucester (also known as Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center) are held in a restricted account, and pre-approved funds to OceanLab, less a small administrative fee. All donations are fully tax-deductible.
Donate Online
Donating online is simple and quick! We accept PayPal and all major credit and debit cards.
