About Us

 

Future Frogmen is an initiative that works to improve ocean health by deepening the connection between people and nature.

By growing an inclusive community of like-minded stewards, we improve public awareness and appreciation of the ocean, and close gaps between human understanding and destructive behavior.

Why the name?

Our first intern, Hetal Patel, suggested we name the organization Future Frogmen. Our Founder, Richard had written a book titled Frogmen. It’s as simple as that. We ran with it.

Don’t let it throw you off. We are by no means just for divers, nor just for ‘men’.

What do we do?

We foster ocean ambassadors and future leaders to protect the ocean by accomplishing five objectives:

1.) Experiential Learning - We believe in science! Through interdisciplinary learning, we listen to and share information from scientists, as well as activists, artists, authors, business people, photographers, public policy and health professionals, political representatives, social justice and religious figures, and others.

2.) Communicating - Through personal storytelling (writing, speaking, video and our “Blue Earth Podcast”), we make ocean and water-related information understandable, relatable and entertaining.

3.) Acting - Through enriched field-based actions. One of many actions are our monthly coastal cleanups. We start each cleanup with a brief education segment. We share best practices and information about how to reduce ocean plastic, which includes alternative behaviors and advocacy at the local, state and federal levels.

We think globally… Earth is said to have five oceans, the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and the Southern or Antarctic Ocean, we view them as one integrated body of water covering more than 70% of the planet’s surface, and representing 97% of the water on Earth.

Particularly relevant to us is that the ocean is responsible for influencing our climate, and maintaining the carbon and weather cycle that is vital to life on Earth.

4.) Leading - Students and others take on impactful roles that both further our cause and provide valuable leadership development by working for a non-profit business.

Whether it is via our formal internship program or other voluntary efforts, students and others contribute in many ways, including writing, public speaking, organizing outreach events and explorations, or producing our online videos and podcast.

5.) Exploring - We aspire to provide fellowships, to help students and others get into the field. These range from small-scale day trips, such as the students who needed gas money to visit a fishery, to large-scale shipboard research expeditions, which we seek to accomplish through collaborations.

Who’s our audience?

Participating are undergraduate, graduate and post graduate students representing 50 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities. High school students are also engaged, particularly Magnet Schools and STEM Programs.

We value inclusivity and welcome everyone, including non-students, career folks, retirees and lifelong learners.

The audience is generally composed of one-third each:

  • Academic, including students, teachers and professors

  • Public, including citizen scientists and activists

  • NGOs and businesses

What’s our focus

We are interested in all things water, with a focus on:

Climate Change

  • Coastal resilience

  • Coral reef acidification.

  • Sea level rise

Plastic Pollution

  • Health and ecological impacts

  • Marine debris

  • Microplastics (and nanoplastics)

Species Survival

  • Aquaculture and sustainable fishing

  • Habitat conservation

  • Water quality

Our history

Our Founder, Richard Hyman’s roots are in the sea. His grandfather Richard was a sea Captain.

As a boy he explored Long Island Sound in his Boston Whaler. At the age of 18, Jacques Cousteau asked him to drive a truck from Los Angeles to the Canadian wilderness, and work with Cree Native Americans to build a cabin for a rare land-based expedition. He said yes.

Then, during and after university, he returned for three voyages aboard Research Vessel Calypso. He started as a deck hand and climbed the ladder to become a specialty diver, aquanaut, navigator and photographer.

Richard went on and has a successful conventional business career.

Later, his local school system asked him to mentor students on marine biology. This mentoring gave birth to the early grass roots initiative, the beginning of Future Frogmen.

What have we accomplished?

Some of our accomplishments include:

501(c) (3) Nonprofit and public charity

  • In 2019. the IRS determined that we were a 501(c) (3) nonprofit and public charity. This meant donors could deduct contributions to Future Frogmen, Inc. We were also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers, or gifts.

  • In 2020, we donated the organization to the Long Island Sound Ocean Cluster. After six months of no performance, we took the organization back but left the legal entity with LISOC, in the event the had taken on any liabilities. Thus, Future Frogmen lost its nonprofit status.

  • In 2022 we merged Future Frogmen into a more sizable and proven nonprofit, SaveTheSound.org.

Blog

  • 56 blog posts written by students and interns. 29 in 2020.

Blue Earth Podcast

  • Launched on May 29, 2020, we presented 30 episodes and concluded Season 1 on November 30.

  • Seasons 2 and 3 launched in 2021.

Coastal Cleanups (monthly)

  • Students from five Fairfield County, CT high schools and Fairfield University.

  • Activities were put on hold due to COVID-19.

    • Plans include extending to New Haven County, CT.

  • We initiated the East Coast Community Cleanup (June 26-July 2, 2020)

    • Patagonia and Save The Sound collaborated.

Conservation Cartoons

  • Launched June 2020. Five episodes to date.

Conversation Series

One-on-one videos before a live audience. Recorded, edited and posted to the web site and YouTube

  • 2019: Created 23 episodes

  • 2020: As of May, 20 new episodes

  • Participants from Boston College, Central Florida U., Dalhousie U., Fairfield U., Macquarie U., MIT, Northeastern, Southern Connecticut State University, Stony Brook, UCONN.

High Schools (Public, Magnet and Private):

  • High school teachers are engaged and offer students credit for attending conversations and cleanups.

K-12

  • We are inspiring a generation of ocean lovers by physically and virtually visiting grades K-12 to discuss the ocean, sustainability, eco-stewardship and exploration.

Keynote Speeches, Panel Moderation & Participation

  • Connecticut Beardsley Zoo:

    • Keynote - 2019 Endangered Species Gala

    • Lecture - A Sea of Living Colors

    • Presentation - Youth Environmental Summit

  • Fairfield U.:

    • Lecture - Fairfield University Donald J. Ross Sr. Lecture Series

  • MIT Water:

    • Keynote - MIT Water Night

    • Moderator - MIT Water Summit: Health & Ecological Impacts of Plastic Pollution

  • Patagonia:

    • Non-profit panel about youth access to the natural world (postponed due to COVID-19).

STEM & Blue Economy Competitions - Judge

  • Interdistrict Magnet High School STEM Competition

  • Connecticut State High School STEM Competition

  • Connecticut Blue Economy Elevator Pitch Olympics

    • Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans

    • Housatonic Community College

    • Quinnipiac University

    • Southern Connecticut State University

    • University of Bridgeport

    • University of Connecticut

The Explorers Club

  • Grant Reviewer for graduate and post graduate student applications in the fields of marine and freshwater.

    • Explorers Club grants

    • OceanX grants for research involving the ocean

    • Mamont Scholars for all categories of field science

United Nations World Oceans Week

Virtual Coastal Cleanup

  • June 25 - July 2, 2020 - Virtual East Coast Community Cleanup

    • Maine to Florida

    • In Collaboration with Patagonia and Save The Sound