NYC Ocean Meetup
⛵ Let’s turn the tide together 🌊
Join us for a casual one-hour gathering of ocean lovers, sailors, and marine advocates at the South Street Seaport Museum.
Meet the Plastic Odyssey crew and learn how they’re tackling the ocean plastic crisis through bold cleanup expeditions, local recycling innovation, and education across the globe.
🕕 Agenda
5:30 pm – Welcome & Check-in
5:45 pm – Opening remarks - Zak Risinger, Director of Engagement and Public Programs, South Street Seaport Museum
5:50pm - Plastic Odyssey: Navigating a Plastic-free future - Alexandre Dechelotte, Co-founder & GM of Plastic Odyssey
6:10pm - Introducing Plastic Odyssey Fund - Fabien Lamaison, Director of Plastic Odyssey Fund
🎙️ Speakers
Alexandre Dechelotte is the General Manager of Plastic Odyssey, a global initiative tackling plastic pollution through low-tech, open-source recycling solutions. At 32, he is a self-taught entrepreneur and former Merchant Navy officer, with a degree from the French National Maritime Academy (ENSM). After years navigating commercial vessels, especially in Asia, he witnessed firsthand the scale of ocean plastic pollution—a turning point that inspired his full-time commitment to environmental action.
In 2016, he co-founded Plastic Odyssey with Simon Bernard. Today, he oversees the organization’s communications and partnerships strategy, driving its international expansion and impact. Aboard the 40-meter MV Plastic Odyssey, the team travels the world to share solutions, empower local communities, and build a future without plastic waste.
Alexandre is also the father of two children, a role that deepens his commitment to creating a livable planet for future generations.
Fabien Lamaison is a social and climate entrepreneur who co-founded the U.S. nonprofit arm of Plastic Odyssey—Plastic Odyssey Fund—in 2024 to expand the organization’s mission across North America.
As U.S. Director, he leads U.S. operations, strategic partnerships, philanthropy, and community engagement to support global efforts in ocean plastic cleanup, recycling innovation, and biodiversity restoration.
With a background in fintech and impact tech, Fabien brings over two decades of experience launching ventures and scaling teams to drive systems-level solutions to some of today’s most urgent environmental challenges.
🎟️ Tickets
FREE
$10 suggested Donation
Any contribution is greatly appreciated and will be processed as a donation to support both organizations. Only the amount given above the ticket price may be considered tax-deductible (*).
🤝 Sponsors
Thank you to our U.S. Partners that make this event possible:
L'Occitane, Loft Orbital Solutions, Massat Group, MP Law, Open Water
💖 Support our organizations
About South Street Seaport Museum: The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic Seaport District, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Seaport Museum includes an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, galleries, working 19th-century print shop, and a fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.”
About Plastic Odyssey: Plastic Odyssey has set out to help solve - and raise global awareness around - the devastating human and environmental impacts of plastic pollution. Through a unique and multifaceted approach, we are:
(1) Advancing innovative, affordable solutions to recycle and transform plastic waste into valuable materials;
(2) Supporting local communities, economies and entrepreneurs worldwide where resource recovery is in high demand; and
(3) Working to restore biodiverse ecosystems.
Our goal is to create a global network of recycling initiatives that help support local economies and lead to lasting change.
About Plastic Odyssey Fund: Plastic Odyssey Fund is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation headquartered in San Francisco. The fund was created with the mission to combat plastic pollution by engaging U.S. philanthropies, corporations, governments, and individual donors and joining them with the projects undertaken by Plastic Odyssey through its entities Plastic Odyssey Foundation, Plastic Odyssey Expedition and Plastic Odyssey Community. Through this initiative, Plastic Odyssey Fund will help scale innovative solutions, protect ocean ecosystems, and raise awareness in the blue economy. Plastic Odyssey Fund is also part of the 9Zero climate community. For more information or to donate, visit www.plasticodyssey.fund.
(*) Important Disclaimer: Plastic Odyssey Fund is a nonprofit organization (Tax-ID / EIN: 99-4899981) that has applied for recognition of tax-exempt status in the U.S. under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. While our application is pending with the IRS, donations are not guaranteed to be tax-deductible. If our application is approved, tax-exempt status will be retroactive to the date of our incorporation on July 22, 2024, potentially making your donation tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor regarding the tax implications of your contribution.