Carolina Ocean Alliance (COA), founded in 2023, advances community-driven solutions through coalitions, develops the next generation of leaders, and fosters a culture of environmental stewardship. To heal the world and ourselves in the process, COA believes we must see ourselves as a part of the natural world rather than apart from it by reimagining “community” through ecology. The Southeast faces extreme flooding risk from hurricanes, king tides, land subsidence, and increasingly intense rain events. Charleston, where two-thirds of properties are already endangered, could experience 180 days of tidal flooding by 2045. Low-income areas are particularly at risk. COA’s Hope Summit features a conference, film festival, and a Community Solutions Festival to promote community action and collaboration. From The MARSH Project and Creek Collective to global partnerships and initiatives, COA is fighting climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental injustice, and marine pollution.
Grey Gowder, Founder of Carolina Ocean Alliance, delivering closing remarks at The Hope Summit 2024 Conference. Photo: Carissa Cabrera, FutureSwell
Grey Gowder, Carolina Ocean Alliance’s founder and sole staff member, is supported by a board of seven and dozens of volunteers from the College of Charleston and local community groups. The Hope Summit, which began in 2022, draws more than 2,000 festival participants and 100 sponsored students and young professionals to its conference. Charleston provides the ideal backdrop for this global gathering. The Southeast is home to the Blake Plateau deep-sea coral reef and some of the world’s last healthy intact salt marshes. “Salt marshes and oyster ecosystems are as important to us as mangroves and coral in other parts of the world,” Gowder said. “They are the ocean’s nurseries, prolific carbon sinks, and have been a core part of local culture and commerce for millennia.” The MARSH Project and Creek Collective bring neighbors together to protect and restore these vital ecosystems by landscaping with native plants, restoring oyster reefs, and building a community-led ecological corridor.
The Hope Summit 2023 Community Festival at Daniel Island Waterfront Park. Photo: Owen Granata