In The Good News: Well-known YouTuber ‘MrBeast’ has achieved an incredible crowdfunding feat after leading dozens of top influencers around the world to encourage donations and volunteering to clean up the oceans.
17,000 tons of trash and plastic were removed from oceans and rivers around the world, and an independent third party verified that every dollar donated went directly to removing half a kilo of trash.
The YouTuber, also known as James Donaldson, launched the TeamSeas initiative. With it, he gathered hundreds of voices with huge social media followings to use their channels for the good of the ocean. In January 2022, together with his partner in the project Mark Rober, they announced that they had raised $30 million and would start the giant cleanup company.
Much of the money was needed to hire organizers to train volunteers, equip them with supplies, and hire specialists, boats and even robots. Their content generated 1.3 billion cumulative views across 40,000 social channels. When the months of cleanup began, 170,000 people from dozens of countries volunteered. The largely positive message is that the Internet, like all human endeavors, can be channeled toward good causes.
