Star of the Sea
Introducing our Italian, ocean-loving, planet-positive, lady-slider Stella. She has dedicated her life to saving our seas, longboarding and protecting the earth. Cornish copywriter and fellow ocean-addict Lottie got in touch to find out the who’s, what’s and why’s of Stella, and what the future holds for her…
Hey Stella! Who are you and where’s your home break?
Hi Lottie! First of all I want to thank you for this interview, it’s really cool!
I was born and raised in Genova, in the north-west of Italy, but my home spot is Recco, a small town outside of the city.
Nice to meet you! Tell us about your relationship with the sea.
I always lived in front of the sea. Since I was a kid I used to spend the summer in the water, swimming in the waves and rolling with them. It’s the only place where I can rest and think about how beautiful everything around us is.
And when did you start surfing?
I started surfing at the age of 14, after I met a surf instructor in a shop. Before that I actually didn’t know it was possible to surf in Italy!
Do you remember the first time you became aware of the threat against our oceans?
It was during my first year of university, I was about 20. I came across an article about the level of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, saying that between Tuscany (IT) and Corse (FR) the number of microplastics found is considerably bigger than in the pacific garbage patch. It really scared me, so I started talking about it with all of my friends. From that I started reading more and more about it and I decided to study Environmental Economics to find a way to solve the problem.
Amazing! What day-to-day things do you partake in to help protect the planet?
I think the best thing to do to help the planet is to be aware of what we are doing.
Every action we make has an impact on the environment, on the people around us and even on ourselves. We have to be aware of this and make our decisions based on the kind of impact we want to have.
There isn’t just one way to do things. For example, for some it can be easier to use only public transportation, while for someone else it’s easier to stop eating meat, but still use their car.
Can you tell us about Ogyre and the work you do with them?
Ogyre is an Italian startup born to clean the ocean. We enable and pay fishermen to collect the marine litter they find whilst at sea, by organising Fishing For Litter projects around the world.
At Ogyre I am the Sustainability Manager, and I coordinate these projects.
Sounds like an awesome job. What would you like to tell someone considering a career in ocean conservation?
Go out and talk to people! The best think you can do is talk to other people about your passion and your ideas, because no one can save the ocean alone.
What does the future hold for you? We’d love to hear about any plans you have…
Getting my degree! I haven’t finished my masters degree, so that’s the first thing. After that I hope I will have more time to dedicate to environmental divulgation on my instagram profile. And then chase waves around the world of course!
Your dedication to the sea is so inspiring. Good luck with your endeavours, degree and wave hunt Stella!
Stella on Insta | learn more about Ogyre
