Ocean Flow

Ocean flow is an idea from Chris Woodfield. Chris is an ocean and food activist, a passionate community organiser, environmentalist and outdoorsperson. He is focused on delivering effective and engaging grassroots, community-led environmental change and empowerment.

The ocean brings him great joy, happiness and flow!

He has spent the last 8 years living in Aberystwyth, West Wales, and is one of the Co-Founders and Directors of Aber Food Surplus, a not-for-profit social enterprise taking action on food waste and climate change. In addition, he has been a Community Lead and Regional Representative for Surfers Against Sewage delivering the Plastic Free Communities initiative in Aberystwyth facilitating the town to become one of the first “Plastic Free Communities” in the UK, and spearheaded the beach cleaning movement in the town back in 2012. Furthermore, he has led the Friends of the Earth Bee Friendly scheme initiating Aberystwyth to become a “Bee Friendly” town.

He studied a BSc at Aberystwyth University and a MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation at the Centre for Alternative Technology’s Graduate School of the Environment where he explored the relationship between nature connection, happiness, kindness and pro-environmental behaviour change. He has also explored “Active Hope – the work that reconnects” by Joanna Macy.

Chris enjoys adventures and is interested in how we can use adventure to communicate environmental and social change; in Summer 2018 he set up “Pedal Against Plastic” to cycle around the coastline and circumference of Wales engaging people and taking action on single-use plastic. He loves cold-water wild swimming, walking, camping/bivvying, cycling, trail-running, gardening, yoga, pilates and spending time being and playing in the outdoors.

He is a Wavemaker – an alumni of the Wavemaker Collective (2019) – where social innovation and creativity meet the sea. This is a global gathering of 16 leaders, founders, wavemakers and seekers from around the World exploring what it means to be a good leader and how to do good better. He has previously worked in outdoor education and is a qualified Coastal School Leader.

What’s motivating him right now?

Ocean flow! Yoga, mindfulness and his recently hand-made bamboo bicycle from the Bamboo Bicycle Club! But also, how can we bring more empathy, kindness and compassion into the environmental movement, i.e. not just raising awareness, but raising compassion and taking action as global citizens in a collaborative way.