Ocean Friendly Communities & Ocean Friendly Orleans Initiative

The Ocean Friendly Communities Initiative is a long-term campaign working to build healthier, more resilient coastal communities across Cape Cod and the Islands through local action, education, partnership, and policy implementation.

Beginning with Orleans as a pilot community, the initiative brings together residents, businesses, municipal leaders, students, and community organizations around practical solutions that reduce pollution, protect water quality, strengthen coastal ecosystems, and foster a culture of ocean stewardship. This will position Orleans as the first Ocean Friendly Community model on Cape Cod and the entire East Coast.

The campaign recognizes that creating an “ocean friendly” community goes beyond a single ordinance or cleanup effort. It requires sustained collaboration, measurable progress, and community-wide participation. Through public outreach, business engagement, waste reduction initiatives, environmental education, cleanup and data collection efforts, and support for local policies, the initiative aims to create a replicable model that can expand to other coastal towns across the region.

Core Campaign Pillars

1. Waste Reduction & Plastic Pollution Prevention

2. Clean Water & Healthy Ecosystems

3. Ocean Friendly Businesses & Tourism

4. Community Engagement & Education

5. Data, Accountability & Impact

This campaign will be a multi-year effort and will be rolled out in 3 phases:

Year 1- Creating an Ocean-Friendly Orleans

Public Engagement & Education

• Launch up to 20 annual public engagement opportunities
• Create a centralized environmental information hub
• Disseminate educational materials across digital and print platforms

Ocean Friendly Gardens & Landscaping

• Integrate Ocean Friendly Gardens standards into:
  • Pond Pledge
  • Pollinator Pathway
  • At Home With Nature programming
• Build from the existing 130+ participating Pond Pledge properties
• Launch the first publicly accessible Ocean Friendly Garden in New England

Business Certification Targets

Ocean Friendly Restaurants

• Certify 60% of eligible local food service establishments

Ocean Friendly Hotels & Accommodations

• Certify 60% of eligible accommodations
• develop sustainability criteria for visitor education and property management.

Municipal & Policy Metrics

• Operationalize the Town’s Environmental Sustainability & Climate Action Omnibus Policy
• Evaluate and refine:
  • plastic bag bylaws
  • polystyrene restrictions
  • balloon restrictions
  • bottled water policies
• Advance completion of a Climate Action Plan
• Assess water rate structures tied to conservation goals

Communications Capacity

• Develop audience-specific communications plans for residents, visitors, businesses, and property owners

Year 2— Action & Community Integration Phase

Program Expansion

• Increase participation beyond the initial 60% certification goals to 75%
• Expand Ocean Friendly Gardens participation beyond the initial 130+ aligned properties
• Increase annual public engagement opportunities beyond the pilot phase

Infrastructure & Visibility

• Install educational signage and public-facing stewardship materials
• Launch seasonal tourism stewardship campaigns

Waste Reduction Metrics

• Track reductions in single-use plastics, reusable cup adoption, marine debris trends from cleanups, and litter item categories

Community Participation

• Increase volunteer retention year-over-year
• Expand youth and school engagement programs
• Increase business participation

Policy & Implementation Metrics

• Measure ordinance awareness and compliance outreach
• Track the implementation progress of municipal sustainability policies
• Assess the adoption of procurement and conservation recommendations

Year 3 - Building a Blueprint for Coastal Communities

• Expand Ocean Friendly Community participation to additional Cape Cod towns
• Develop a formal Ocean Friendly Communities Toolkit
• Launch regional partnership framework
• Track multi-year trends

If you are interested in getting involved/ learning more, please contact capeandislands@surfrider.org.