The Osborne Reef Bracelet
Made with pieces of the tires our crews are recovering from the Osborne Reef, this bracelet is your chance to own a piece of ocean conservation history and support the growth of an underwater cleanup operation that will help protect our coral reefs.
The Osborne Reef Bracelet
Made with pieces of the tires our crews are recovering from the Osborne Reef, this bracelet is your chance to own a piece of ocean conservation history and support the growth of an underwater cleanup operation that will help protect our coral reefs.
The history of the Osborne Reef
In the 1960s and 70s, tire recycling was not widely available, so America’s waste tires were crowding landfills, piling up in illegal dump sites, and polluting the environment. The scrap tire stockpiles that emerged were prone to catastrophic fires, which contributed to the significant air and water quality issues prevalent at that time. They also attracted vermin and mosquitos that could spread disease to nearby communities.
In the early 1970s, a nonprofit group founded by fishermen suggested using the tires to create an artificial reef. At the time, it was believed that the tire reef would encourage new coral growth, attract more big game fish, improve biodiversity, and benefit the local economy. The idea garnered widespread public support and was ultimately endorsed by state and local governments as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Ultimately, over two million used passenger car tires were bound together with steel clips and nylon straps to create the substrate needed to expand the Osborne Reef. Then, with the help of over 100 privately owned vessels, thousands of tire bundles were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean.
The problem with the Osborne Reef
The Osborne Reef was supposed to be the longest artificial coral reef in the world; however, this well-intentioned environmental restoration project ultimately failed. Over time, saltwater corroded the restraints that held the tires together. Free from their bonds, these tires began migrating vast distances across the bottom of the ocean.
Now, ocean currents, waves, and storms turn loose tires into projectiles that move with such force that they can cause irreparable damage to coral reefs and other marine ecosystems that are already threatened by pollution, coastal development, overfishing, climate change, and severe weather events.
Coral reef systems are specialized habitats that provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for countless marine plants and animals, some of which are endangered. They also protect coastal communities from extreme weather, shoreline erosion, and coastal flooding while contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to our local economies.
Cleanups have been slow and difficult
Recovering tires from the Osborne Reef and surrounding areas is a slow, arduous, expensive, and resource-intensive process. Despite the enormous progress made by professional companies and even the military, the difficult nature of the work combined with extra challenges like budget cuts, limited resources, and poor weather conditions mean there is still a lot of work to be done to clean up the Osborne Reef.
What makes cleanup efforts even more complicated is the fact that hundreds of thousands of loose tires have already migrated far away from the main cleanup area and must also be recovered, often just a few at a time, in order to prevent more damage to crucial marine ecosystems along the coast.
4ocean is diving to new depths to clean the ocean
The Osborne Reef is right in our backyard, so as soon as we heard about this project, we knew we had to get involved. After months of research, relationship building, and a lengthy permitting process, 4ocean was finally granted the licenses and permits required to recover tires that have migrated away from the Osborne Reef drop site.
Now, for the first time ever, we’re taking our professional cleanup crews below the ocean’s surface to help recover these tires and protect our coral reefs. Our designated cleanup area spans 34 acres of seabed just north of the original drop site where hundreds of thousands of loose tires have migrated. Our crews are currently using existing resources to recover tires as they survey the area, document tire distribution, and develop a detailed cleanup strategy.
The Osborne Reef Tire Cleanup is still in its infancy and we’re going to need your help to maximize our impact. The Osborne Reef Bracelet is made with pieces of the tires our crews are recovering and will help provide the funding and resources we need to hire more dive crews and invest in specialized equipment that will allow us to recover these tires quicker and on a much larger scale.
Own a piece of ocean conservation history and help fund this historic underwater cleanup
What happens to the tires we recover from Osborne Reef
A portion of the tires we recover from our designated cleanup area are being used to make our new Osborne Reef Bracelets. However, the condition of the tires we’re recovering makes them extremely difficult to recycle using the equipment we currently have. For now, tires that can’t be recycled are sent to the Solid Waste Authority in West Palm Beach, Florida, the most advanced, efficient, and lowest-emission waste management facility in the United States. There, our waste tires will be converted into energy that powers thousands of homes and businesses in our local community.
However, our ultimate goal is to partner with an organization that can help us recycle these scrap tires on a massive scale. That way, we can use more of these tires to create a variety of new products that will help fund this historic cleanup operation and advance our mission to end the ocean plastic crisis.
The Osborne Reef Bracelet
The Osborne Reef Bracelet is made with verified 100% crumb rubber from tires that our crews recovered directly from the Osborne Reef. From the tire-shaped bezel to the tire-black macrame cord, every detail is designed to represent the tires we’re recovering from the reef.
We encourage you to share photos of your Osborne Reef Bracelet on social media, using its unique features as storytelling opportunities that raise awareness about the Osborne Reef Tire Cleanup and inspire others to get involved in the clean ocean movement.
THE OSBORNE REEF BRACELET
Raise awareness about the Osborne Reef Tire Cleanup
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