ANNUAL REPORT 2025
Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark
CVR 39854082
Guided by our slogan "Tavaha” (Tag vare på havet -Take care of the Ocean) Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark’s (NOW) vision is to shape a global community where all individuals, both in Denmark and across the world, feel inspired and empowered to take care of the ocean.
Our mission is to motivate everyone to care for the ocean by involving them in meaningful, hands-on actions, promoting knowledge sharing, and fostering a community of ocean watchers with a shared commitment to protect our marine environment.
Activation: We empower individuals to actively protect the ocean.
Knowledge Sharing: We give the ocean a voice.
Community: We foster a community of ocean watchers.
In the following sections are presented NOW’s achievements within each focus area in 2024. The annual report also includes NOW’s financial statements 2024 and an overview of financial partnerships.
Activation
2025 showed a big increase in our cleanup activities, made possible by the energy and commitment of our Ocean Watchers and a growing cleanup coordinator team. Over the year, we carried out 13 cleanup events, which is more than double the number held in 2024.
Participation grew strongly. 243 Ocean Watchers joined cleanups during the year, a 167% increase compared to the previous year (91). On average, 19 volunteers took part in each cleanup, showing a growing and engaged community .
With more people taking action, the impact also increased. Together, volunteers collected 217 kg of trash, which is over three times more than in 2024. Each cleanup removed an average of 16.69 kg of waste from beaches and coastal areas .
These results reflect a year of renewed momentum. Ocean Watchers continue to be at the heart of our cleanup work, turning shared effort into real progress for cleaner oceans.
A highlight of the 2025 cleanup season was our participation in CopenPay, an initiative that rewards people, especially tourists, for choosing sustainable actions in Copenhagen by giving access to local experiences. In collaboration with Scandic Hotels, NOW organized four cleanups as part of the initiative, rewarding participating Ocean Watchers with relaxing saunagus sessions and spa access at Scandic Spectrum and Scandic Amager Strandpark.
Knowledge sharing
In 2025, knowledge sharing focused on rebuilding momentum and strengthening the foundations for future outreach, finding our voice again after a period of lower activity. A central priority was bringing our team of volunteers back together. Throughout the year, we focused on reconnecting as a group and creating space for open exchange of ideas.
Towards the end of the year, activity in the News Blog increased, with new posts covering topics such as ocean protection, environmental policy, and human impacts on the marine environment. These posts aim to make complex issues understandable and relevant, and to inspire readers to engage with and take action on ocean-related issues. Maintaining regular content will continue to be an important part of our work going forward.
We also participated in public events, workshops and conferences throughout the year. These offered opportunities to engage with a wide audience, exchange perspectives, and inspire discussion and collaboration with other organisations and individuals committed to the marine environment.
In June, NOW participated in Folkemødet 2025 in Allinge, where we hosted a Wild Card conversation titled “Can Climate Anxiety be Treated with Climate Action?”. The session brought together researchers, practitioners, and youth representatives to explore how active engagement and collective action can help address the emotional challenges many young people experience in relation to climate change, and how participation and community can support constructive responses to climate concerns.
In addition, 2025 marked an important milestone in our educational work with the completion of a children’s book. Developed in close collaboration with an author and graphic designer, the book introduces children to the ocean through storytelling and illustrations. By the end of the year, it was finalised and prepared for print, and will serve as a tool to inspire curiosity and care for the marine environment among the youngest of our ocean watchers.
Overall, 2025 strengthened NOW’s capacity to share knowledge in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and inspiring, laying a strong foundation for continued work in the years ahead.
Community
2025 was an eventful year for NOW. We formed our new Community team and we managed to attend 9 external events where we presented our mission to the wider public. These are some of them:
Volunteer Night, which has become a regular event for us and a great way to recruit new volunteers
Skagerrak Science and Solutions Sail 2025 gave us the opportunity to meet fellow researchers and marine enthusiasts from all across the Nordic region and present our work to them. The group sailed on the oldest operational tall ship and drove curious visitors to our stands.
International Citizen Days is another regular event on our calendar. NOW is an open organization and we welcome all people who wish to do something good for the ocean, regardless of whether they are locals or internationals. The two-day event is a great way to engage the international community and bring more people on board with our mission.
Mission Ocean & Waters - Danish EU Presidency Conference was an important one to attend and help give voice to the ocean. The conference was organized in connection to the Danish EU presidency in 2025.
Clean Cities - Clean Nature - Clean Seas Conference was a great way to form closer ties with local environmental organizations and work out how we can help each other and the environment.
Banff Mountain Film Festival was a fun couple of days that drove hundreds of people to see movies about nature and the great outdoors. We used the opportunity to talk about our mission and inform like-minded people how they can join our future cleanups. Our talks on stage were heard by over 1200 people and our stand was visited by many.
Building Alliances Among Green Grassroots was another event that sought to bring green organizations closer together. NOW was featured in a book report by University of Southern Denmark following 44 Danish grassroots within the climate justice theme. A new alliance was formed and we look forward to building on this foundation in the upcoming year.
CopenPay was another exciting milestone for us. Organized by Wonderful Copenhagen - the official tourism organization in Copenhagen, this is only the second year of its existence. The initiative has already attracted immense media interest - both locally and internationally. NOW and the Activity team organised 4 cleanups in partnership with Scandic Hotels and guided locals and tourists towards more thoughtful decisions.
