Our Only World - Living Ocean Wall

Our Only World is a charity passionate about the fight against plastic, the protection of our seas and marine conservation education. Inspired by Living Sea Walls Australia who were finalists in last year’s Earthshot Prize, Our Only World’s latest project is to retrofit living ocean walls in Plymouth Harbour adjacent to the National Aquarium to stimulate marine abundance and biodiversity.

Our Only World is a charity dedicated to conserving, protecting, and improving the physical and natural marine environment. Based in Cornwall, Tina, who created Our Only World, lives close to the sea and could see the damage being done to our oceans. Our Only World is Tina’s way of making a difference.

Projects include educating school children about the impact their actions can have on the oceans, such as littering and plastic pollution and installing water stations along the Cornwall coastline to encourage the use of reusable bottles and reduce the purchase of single-use plastic.

Funds from the Matthew Good Foundation will go towards the creation of a living harbour wall in Plymouth harbour. 

Man-made structures around our harbours, such as pilings and seawalls, are built for many reasons such as protection, water-based economy, and recreation. Still, they do not support a biodiverse marine environment. Living walls have shown that we can introduce a way of enhancing the microenvironment by improving man-made sea walls to mimic rocky shore pools. The living wall provides a habitat for marine life, aiding biodiversity and attracting filter-feeding organisms that absorb and filter out pollutants, keeping the water clean.

The living sea wall will use eco-friendly materials from the China Clay industry that are 98% recycled, non-toxic, plastic-free and designed to support the circular economy.

Dr Louise Firth – Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at Plymouth University and her students are ready to carry out the baseline surveys and subsequent project monitoring.

"One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that when passionate people come together anything is possible. Small actions, like this project, when multiplied can make change and a positive difference to our oceans. Our Only World is a not for profit registered charity, we are all volunteers and hence our overheads are minimal. We are passionate about protecting our oceans for future generations. Every penny of your donation will go towards purchasing and securing the living wall on Plymouth Harbour. Thank you so much for your support."

Tina, Our Only World
"This is a fantastic small, local project that could pave the way for more like it throughout the UK. Tina is so passionate about our oceans and has worked incredibly hard to set up partnerships with the University of Plymouth who, will monitor the project, and Arc Marine, who will create and supply the wall tiles using recycled materials. Research shows that after 1-2 years, living seawalls already support at least 36% more species than plain, unmodified seawalls. I'm confident that once this sea is created, our Only World will secure further funding to expand the project in the future."
Michelle Taft
Executive Director, Matthew Good Foundation