In her senior year in high school, Sydney Bell noticed how poorly our ocean is treated and decided to take matters into her own hands.
Climate change has become more severe over the decade and it is beginning to heat up the ocean, the fish population is starting to feel the effects of climate change by putting the marine ecosystems into disarray, according to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
“Ocean pollution comes in many forms, from the runoff chemicals we use on our lawns to physical items like single-use plastics. The plastics that end up in the ocean have a far-reaching impact. There have been cases of plastics filling up the bellies of all sorts of sea animals like seabirds, seals, and whales. The ocean is a huge network of currents carrying all this trash to every part of the globe,” Mary Riggs, Fish and Wildlife Technician, said.
Bell sketched out designs that had meaning to her on her notepad and turned it into a brand with a message, “Save The Seas, Tidal Teas”. Tidal Tees is the title of her clothing brand, which consists of her art sea-related art designs promoting a cleaner ocean.
Tidal Tees was started in March of 2018 and since then has sold more than $20,000 of apparel and has donated around $3,000 to ocean conservation around the world.
Bell initially started the brand to help donate to ocean conservation, but it quickly grew into more than that. Her intention was to help local ocean conservation by donating all profits to non-profit ocean conservation organizations.
Each month the brand focuses on a different topic and issue related to the ocean and creates a collection out of it, whether it’s there Less Plastic, More Turtles or Clean Our Seas, each collection has its own unique design all created on a laptop by Bell herself.
“I really wanted to do something that would make an impact now because there are so many different issues facing the ocean, and I wanted to take action now before it’s too late,” Bell said.
She was raised in Western New York, nowhere near a body of water but quickly fell in love with the ocean and became passionate about sea life ever since she was in third grade.
Bell’s passion for marine biology stems from childhood but has only grown tremendously prompting her to take it up as a career. She is currently majoring in marine vertebrate biology and is the president of the Marine Science Club at Stony Brook University which she started herself.
The club was started about a year ago with only 20 members participating in activities to raise awareness about the ocean. It now has over 200 members and is constantly growing in number. Beach clean-ups are organized a lot by the club to help reduce pollution in the ocean and prevent sea animals from being injured or killed due to waste.
The first organization that Tidal Tees donated their funds to was The Bimini Sharklab, the organization does a lot of research on hammerheads and other sharks found around Bimini near the Bahamas. They do scientific research on them and their goal is to shine a light on sharks rather than presenting them as monsters that people portray them as.
Bell has donated to organizations such as The Bimini Sharklab, The Black Fish, Sea Shepherd, The Ocean Cleanup, The Cousteau Society, The Coral Restoration Foundation, The Hooper Collective, National Geographic's Pristine Seas, and NY Marine Rescue Center.
“Sometimes I'll find an issue that's currently in the news and reach out to an organization that is related to that issue and I'll make a design out of it, which is what I'm doing for New York Marine Rescue Center in Riverhead.”
Tidal Tees just recently made its biggest donation yet, donating $275 to the New York Marine Rescue Center, an organization that has successfully rehabilitated over 1,070 animals.
“What her funds are going towards is our rescue program, providing us with the equipment that we need like mobile medical equipment to get the clinical studies and the initial assessments done out on the field to providing the animals that we bring back to our hospital with all of the resources that they need from there treatments to their diet to different enrichment devices that we can give them to get their process going a little bit quicker”, Sadie Logozio, stranding technician with the New York Marine Rescue Center said.
Bell is recognized and well respected in the field of marine biology from the great advocacy that she has shown just within the past years that Tidal Tees has been around.
“I think Tidal Tees have a fantastic business model. Using creativity and advocacy, combining two passions into one amazing project that has the potential to influence the world. It’s inspiring to see a woman in the sciences following her passions so steadfastly. And by diversifying the charities she donates to broadens her impact even further. I’m proud of my fellow marine scientist!”, Riggs said.
Tidal Tees not only promotes reducing, reusing and recycling in their brand but quite literally uses recycled plastic material in their clothing and packaging.
“I really wanted to sell shirts and products that were sustainable, if I’m telling people to be more sustainable and how we can help the ocean I really want the clothes to relay that message,” said Bell.
This is an important detail of the brand’s message and her customers notice it and it has become a big factor as to why they decide to support the brand.
“I love the way they reuse materials like plastic and make their clothes with it, it’s one of the main reasons why I bought their shirts but the quality is amazing and I really like how she gives back to help the ocean.” Stephanie Melo, a customer of Tidal Tees said.
As of now the only location to buy Tidal Tees is at Shop Red West at Stony Brook University but all her products can be viewed and purchased online at TidalTees.com. Bell is currently working on a new collection and a sea turtle bracelet that uses recycled material.
According to a study conducted by a scientific working group at the University of California Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, “every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans. That’s equivalent to five grocery bags filled with plastic for every foot of coastline in the world. It is predicted that in the year 2025, the annual input is estimated to be about twice as big.”
Bell makes zero dollars from the profits made from the brand but continues to create and donate to these organizations in hope that it sends a message to people that our ocean life is an important factor in our home.
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