Interview with the CEO and President of the nonprofit Love Blue Inc.
Plastic is a material that most people use in their daily lives. But the issue with this versatile, synthetic compound is that it does not break down. Meaning if you threw a piece of plastic in the woods, it would stay there forever.“Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into our oceans” (Condor Ferries). The nonbiodegradable toxin has raised widespread concern about the plastic pollution problem our world is facing. However, people around the world are starting to take action and fight against this crisis. One of many of these people is 21 years old AJ Caruso.
AJ grew up in Voorhees, New Jersey but spent almost every summer with his grandparents at Wildwood Crest beach. It was there he developed a strong admiration for the ocean. Constantly surfing, fishing, and swimming. Ensuring he was as close to the ocean as he could be. At the age of 16, he achieved his dream job as a lifeguard for the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol. It was there he started to notice the carelessness of beach patients. Leaving trash, cigarettes, and other harmful waste, negligent about their garbage. From the lifeguard stand, AJ would watch the south winds blow trash into the water and observe waste float on top of the waves. Day by day he watched how careless people were, thus witnessing first-hand the plastic crisis.
Summer 2019, Aj decided to take initiative and put an end to the thoughtless waste left on the beach. It was through Instagram that AJ noticed a post, depicting men and women pulling tons and tons of trash off of a beach. That post inspired AJ to take the first step and start his organization that would end the disasters he had witnessed for too long. He got together with Sean Lavender and Nick Milio, who had also grown up going to the beach and shared the passionate AJ had about ending the plastic crisis. He then pitched the idea to them about beach cleanups. However, these cleanups would not only pick up the waste and stop it from entering the ocean but also they would bring awareness to the public about the growing crisis. Without hesitation, Sean and Nick joined the team. Together, all sharing the same vision of conserving our oceans in hopes for a cleaner future.
One summer day, Aj decided to post an Instagram saying he wanted to pick up trash around Wildwood beach. To his surprise, the post gained attention. People wanted to be a part of the cleanup and remove trash off of Wildwood. Henceforth, the first Love Blue cleanup was born and was held at Wildwood Crest. Aj, Nick, and Sean hosted the cleanup on their own, without guidance or any legal rights that made the cleanup official. Only 10 people showed up. Nevertheless, AJ posted again about the results from the first cleanup, which gained even more attention than the original post. This propelled him to make the cleanups regularly, constructing a schedule of when the cleanups would be held during that summer. Instagram gave AJ the platform to reach a vast crowd, potential volunteers, and expose to viewers how serious the plastic problem is. The spotlight of these beach cleanup posts promoted AJ to name the cleanups Love Blue.
July 2019 Love Blue Inc. was founded. With Aj as president and Nick and Sean as the conscientious Vice Presidents, the cleanups continued to grow and attract more people. “Over that summer it was inspiring to see the cleanups expand and it showed that people, other than us, wanted to join and make a difference” (AJ Caruso). The 2019 cleanups in Wildwood Crest occurred every weekend until the end of August. But that was only the beginning of Love Blue’s era. In the second week of September, the first Myrtle beach cleanup was held, quickly followed by cleanups starting in Atlantic City. Consequently, #Bluemovement would become the official slogan for the organization.
AJ started his nonprofit when he was just 19. He thanks his family, community, and God for motivating him and blessing him to continue his drive for reaching his goal.“If anyone has an idea or dream, go pursue it because you never know what could happen” (AJ Caruso). Love Blue has grown tremendously since the summer of 2019. Gaining more sponsors, locations, team members, and supplies. AJ’s ultimate goal is to have Love Blue as a world-wide establishment because the plastic pollution crisis is a worldwide problem. “We want Love Blue to do everything it can to help conserve not only our oceans but our planet as well” (AJ Caruso). Love Blue’s new operation is setting up a cleanup in Boulder Creek. This organization is something to keep an eye out for because it holds remarkable potentiality for growth.
Sidebar
On October 21st at 5:30, Love Blue Inc. presented their proposal for an interactive headquarters in Wildwood Crest, NJ. During the meeting President, AJ Caruso discussed Love Blues' plans and goals for the future. Pinpointing why having a headquarter would be a vital asset in expanding Love Blue. Caruso prepared for the meeting by looking back on the Love Blue statistics and making sure the facts were accurate and laid out in an organizational, clean manner that was easy to understand. His major in Business Management from the college Coastal Carolina aided his preparation because it has taught him how to run and structure an organization while also teaching him what positions and assets are needed to create a successful business. Caruso highlighted how the headquarters would create jobs, educate children about ocean conservation, address the plastic crisis, and most importantly let everyone know there is a problem and know that we have the ability to stop the crisis. AJ has a follow-up meeting with the mayor on November 6th at 5:30 to further discuss his plan for Love Blue Inc’s interactive headquarters.
