User:Mwill347/4ocean

NOTE: I have kept the information I originally added to my Sandbox and have also added what I edited in the Wikipedia article- the information I added is in bold letters in between what was originally published. All references are currently live on the actual article, and I also found a picture that was CC-approved that is currently on the article. The 4ocean logo is not Wikipedia approved since it is a self-created logo by the brand but I was unsure how to delete the image. I am adding this note after Prof. Alendy's announcement regarding placing all information in the sandbox rather than posting it live due to flagged information from Wikipedia.

Original Ideas
Lead Widget


 * define 4Ocean
 * outline basics of the company
 * for-profit
 * funds raised through merchandise sales
 * 1 bracelet = 1 pound of trash
 * why this is so important
 * general stats (8 million pounds of plastic waste have been removed since startup)

Heading: Foundation


 * Detail when the company was founded
 * background on the founders
 * how it has grown since then
 * employment and volunteer info

Heading: Business Model


 * Do NOT let it read like an advertisement
 * where does 4ocean make and use their profits
 * basic guidelines to the company's business
 * how are employees involved

Article edits (bolded words are my additions)
4ocean is a for-profit company founded in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2017 that sells bracelets made mostly from recycled materials, as well as apparel and other merchandise for which the materials are environmentally and socially responsibly sourced. The company uses a portion of the profits to remove one pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines for each bracelet that is sold in an effort to eliminate plastic pollution in oceans. The company has developed cleanup operations in Bali, Haiti and Florida.

Foundation
'''4ocean started when two recent college graduates, Alex Schulze and Andrew Cooper on a trip to Bali, Indonesia, where the beaches were filled with plastic waste. When told that the waste piles on the coastlines when the currents bring polluted plastic to the shore, they began to explore ideas to increase widespread cleanup operations. Schulze and Cooper were inspired by witnessing fisherman pushing through mounds of plastic in the ocean''' to get their fishing boats to more open waters. They began to create a business model that allowed for volunteers to have access to the supplies and resources necessary for the retraction and disposal of waste found in the water and along coastlines.

'''4ocean claims to have removed more than eight million pounds of waste from the various oceans and coastlines since its inception. As of January 2019, over 200 people are employed by the company.'''

Business model
4ocean is a commercial for-profit business that is funded by the sales of their online products. These funds are distributed to fund cleanup operations and provide deep-sea cleaning equipment, and for every $20 of turnover, 4ocean employees recover one pound of plastic waste from the oceans.

Awards

 * 4ocean won the Surfer magazine “Agent of Change Award”.
 * The founders of 4ocean were named in the Forbes magazine “30 Under 30 — Social Entrepreneurs 2019” List.
 * The founders of 4ocean were named to the “201“ Creative Class” by Newsweek.
 * The new Guinness World Record was placed for Largest Under Water Clean Up in June 2019 which included 633 divers.

My Notes
all references are live on the Wikipedia article

I did not change or add to the "Awards" section that was already live on the Wikipedia page

I added external links to Marine Pollution, Sustainability, and Plastic Crisis articles

I had added 1 image and caption that was CC-approved that is also live on the Wikipedia page