Lisa Miceli: Diver, Entrepreneur, Conservationist,
and Ocean Debris Artist
This week at YourBagTag, we’re highlighting another one of our favorite partners, Lisa Miceli-Capano. Not only is Lisa an avid scuba diver, she’s an entrepreneur, conservationist, and an artist. We can’t say enough about Lisa and all of the work she does in Southeast Florida.
Lisa is the founder of Stoked on Salt, an ocean conservation clothing line designed to raise awareness and help protect the sea and its living coral reef ecosystems. In her spare time, she produces beach cleanups and ocean conservation events.
She also created SOS Ocean Clean Up, a local conservation group that is comprised totally of volunteers ages 4 to 85. All of the debris removed is always weighed and documented by their volunteers at every event... but she doesn't stop there. Once the debris is thoroughly cleaned, Lisa paints outdoor murals, driftwood art and produces fundraiser painting classes using these items as her painting tools. The SOS Debris Paint Niteevents help bring awareness to the types of trash that is being left behind on the shoreline and into the ocean which can destroy marine, and ultimately, human life.
Lisa has even let us use one of her beautiful designs for our custom BCD tags for us!
We first heard about Lisa’s work through Instagram and knew we had to connect. And we are proud to share her story with you today.
Stoked on Salt
Lisa Miceli was raised in sunny Florida since 3 months old and having the beach as her 'backyard' only continued to nurture her love for all things ocean-related. She played in the sand, surfed the waves, and eventually married a dive instructor – which led her to explore the water from an entirely new perspective.
As time progressed, Lisa noticed more and more that the ocean was changing. The beautiful reefs and underwater wildlife was declining. And this troubled her.
“Divers get it. We spend a great deal of time in the water and as a result, we often are the first to see the short term and long term changes in the aquatic environment,” she said. To make a difference, she started attending other beach cleanups but recognized the younger generation was not as involved.
"Many people are not aware of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean and I wanted to do something that was inspiring for a younger generation because they're the ones in line to inherit all these issues." As the mom of a teenager, she asked her daughter for input on how to get people her age more involved in ocean conservation and cleanup efforts. She was seeking a perfect company name to start.
“My daughter said it needed to be something cool and catchy… something young kids could get stoked about,” she said. After a few minutes, her daughter came up with – Stoked on Salt. “I loved it!”.
Lisa decided to use her talents as an artist to design shirts and artwork centered around ocean conservation efforts. A percentage of all sales allow her the opportunity to produce educational events throughout the year and also donate to local non-profits that share the share mission.
In addition to donating money to these non-profits, Lisa has also begun organizing her own local cleanups and created a volunteer organization called SOS Ocean Cleanup.
SOS Ocean Cleanup
SOS Ocean Cleanup is a team of over 2,000 volunteers that range from 4 to 85 years old – and everything in between. This amazing group hosts beach cleanups and educational events throughout the year, including SOS Debris Paint Nights.
"SOS Ocean Clean Up is not a non-profit organization so we rely on a small portion of our proceeds to produce these events. We are so thankful for the community because most of our supplies are either donated by local businesses, conservation groups, families... basically the community. As you would imagine, I don't have a staff so I spend a lot of my personal time executing these free events to the community. What sets me apart from others is that I do it with a passion and not a financial motive."
Lisa has used her artistic talents to raise conservation awareness by painting murals and artwork using debris found in the ocean. She painted this seahorse using a toothbrush, sea sponge, and screwdriver that washed ashore.
The artwork of a spiny lobster was painted with materials like palm from, cork, sea sponge, and plastic fragments.
Even this incredible mural, located at South Beach Park in Fort Lauderdale, was painted using ocean debris.
Lisa paints these projects to bring awareness and to get the community involved. This past summer she invited children from different summer camps to join her in creating the murals for South Beach Park, Florida through an event she calls “Make Your Mark”.
She also recently completed an SOS Debris Art mural at Fort Lauderdale’s Wind Jammer Resort.
Check out this footage of Lisa at work.
In addition to raising awareness through art and cleanups, Lisa hosts a popular family event called the SOS Ocean Conservation Day.
SOS Ocean Conservation Day
This free event is put on each July and includes around 50 to 60 different local non-profits. The 2018 SOS Ocean Conservation Day was held at Oakland Park.
Each year has a different theme. The local non-profits set up booths at no cost, but in return, they must provide something of value to educate visitors to the event on ocean conservation and cleanup. This year's focus was awareness.
Environmental non-profits in the community had the opportunity to spread awareness about what is happening with our ocean. They shared details about their organization and were able to accept donations or sell items to raise money.
Additionally, the local Saltwater Brewery served beer at the event and donated all the proceeds to the Marine Environmental Education Center.
YourBagTagwas also one of the proud sponsors of this event.
SOS Ocean Conservation Day was free to the community and more than 2,000 people attended this past July. Next year, the event will focus on solutions to the growing problem that our ocean ecosystem faces.
What You Can Do to Help
1
Participate in a Cleanup
For those who are fortunate enough to live near the ocean, get involved in a cleanup effort like SOS Ocean Cleanup. And even if you don't live near the ocean, plan your next dive trip to include volunteering for a cleanup.
2
Donate Money
There are so many great organizations out there that need your help. If you are as passionate about the ocean as we are, find an organization that supports your values and donate to it.
3
Donate Goods or Services
There are so many great organizations out there that need your help. If you are as passionate about the ocean as we are, find an organization that supports your values and donate to it.
4
Buy From an Organization the Supports Ocean Conservation
You can purchase products or services from an organization that supports ocean conservation. A Stoked on Salt t-shirt or ocean debris artwork could make a great memento or even a gift for someone who shares your love of the ocean.
5
Raise Awareness
Don’t underestimate the power of social media. If you see a story online about what’s going on with our ocean, share it with others. Let them know what is going on – and help these stories and cleanup efforts get noticed. You never know who you might reach and how they will respond to help.
About YourBagTag
At YourBagTag, we provide custom luggage tags for travelers and divers worldwide.
Our customers are like family. And we love hearing and sharing stories like Lisa’s. Do you have a story? If so, we’d like to hear from you!
Post your comments below or send us a note at info@yourbagtag.com
We look forward to connecting with you!
Leave a comment (all fields required)