Gulf Shores, Ala. – (OBA) – Over 108,000 volunteers have teamed up along Alabama’s coastline since joining the International Coastal Cleanup in 1987. Last week our little shore towns signed off on the 36 annual local cleanup. Proud business owners and island natives came together to set up stations where volunteers could meet and spread out to fill up as many buckets of left behinds and dropped trash as they could find. One of the spearheads for the event was founder and CEO of Eco Clean Marine, Courtney Dombrosk, who had over 65 volunteers at her Fort Morgan location. Globally large companies use massive resources to keep the waters clean and they do make a huge impact. Yet, we pass by trash each day beside outdoor trash cans, blowing down the streets and so on. This can cause the nature lover deep angst, but in Dombroski’s case, great inspiration.
Like most OG coastal natives, Dombroski grew up accustomed to beach days and sneaking into condo pools over the weekends. Though she grew up in Mobile, AL, she and her family visited the beach at least two or three times a month and frequently visited the state park. This stirred up a love of not just the sandy shores but all nature and its inhabitants. Only three days after graduating from high school, she packed her bags and moved to the beach to seek any outdoor job opportunity. Eventually, she landed a spot with local water sport and boat renting business owners who were generous to their employees with their equipment. Dombroski would rise early to have her chance at the paddleboards before anyone else arrived, thus pollinating her love of nature even more. Soon this life would lead to the purchase of a vending machine company, “Feed the Fish, which jump started her way to Eco Clean Marine.
From Florida to Fort Morgan, nestled along the water’s edge are bright yellow vending machines filled with special food you can purchase to feed the fish. Feeling like she needed to do more, Dombroski was challenged by a mentor to not only give back in tithing but also with her most valuable asset, her time. This caused a familiar stir inside her and she began “the hunt” for any organization that was giving back in a striking way, something she “could fall in love with.” This hunt fell during a strange time. It was 2021 and not many groups were gathering, after a few attempts, Dombroski still hadn’t found anything that made her feel good enough to pat herself on the back, “so she didn’t.” Then one morning she experiences her light bulb moment while on her Fish Feeding Machine rounds at The Original Oyster House in Gulf Shores. Under the gazebo over Lake Shelby and all in Little Lagoon trash was raising its ugly head unable to contain herself she grabbed her gloves and began cleaning. After a shout and from one of the local business owners waving their arms with thanks, Dombroski explains she got it, “I can do this myself.” And just like that, Eco Clean Marine was born.
Fast forward to 2023 after pledging to pick up trash once a month in 2022 with the help of one homeless man she explains “and that was just because he was promised a free beer after” the company has grown to double digits at each location and continues to grow every month. After combining the Fish Feeding machines and Eco Clean Marine, growth has been rapid in sponsorships and machine adoptions. The two parts help bring education to the community and visitors. Her hope is that the younger generations will come to feed and fish and it will become a “core memory” like so many of the island ones that influenced her to become “eco aware.” Free virtual E-Book’s about local marine life and what they might see while feeding the fish are available on their website below. Eco Clean Marine believes this is only the beginning in educating children and adults alike. Dombroski’s bike rides through the state park motivated her to include plant and flora identifications as well in the E-Book.
The goal is to have personal up-close experiences in nature, sparking a new wave of responsibility all the while informing and educating. It only takes one hour a month to join the Eco Clean Marine team by comminiting to the heart beat of the organization in trash cleanup days. If physical participation isn’t doable and you’d still like to give back in a fun way, download and print ECM’s treasure map and ride around town to all the fish feeding stations while marking off each one along the way. Dombroski excitedly states, “I honestly believe that being able to give this experience to people is a step in the right direction to changing their hearts, which is how we change the future.”
