Founder and Managing Director, Ocean Recovery Alliance
Mr. Woodring is the Founder and Managing Director of Ocean Recovery Alliance, a non-profit organization based in Hong Kong and California. Its expertise lies in reducing plastic pol lution on both land and water by working with communities, businesses and
governments to develop strategic solutions and programs that educate, build awareness,
and lead to long term positive societal change.
Two of its global programs were launched in 2010 at the Clinton Global Initiative, including the first plastic footprinting methodology in the world, the Plastic Disclosure Project (PDP), and the first app in the world to allow people to report trash hotspots anywhere in the world’s waterways and coastlines, Global Alert. In 2018 he was awarded the Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy in Monaco. In November 2023, he was asked to speak at the UN Plastic Treaty negotiations in Nairobi, and hosted side event presentations at the Korean negotiations and the COP17 Basel Convention in 2025.
As an environmental entrepreneur, Doug also founded ran the Plasticity Forum in 14 global cities on innovations for plastic in its second-life, is a UN Climate Hero, a Google Earth Hero, and has worked with both UN Environment and the World Bank on plastic pollution issues. He co-founded the Water Rising and Water Falling Festivals, and the Inland Ocean Festival in Cambodia since 2018 with NGO2 Bamboo Shoot Foundation, and created the Harvest Plastic Program within some of the communities of the Tonle Sap Lake, which is now being replicated in Indonesia.
Born in Northern California, Mr. Woodring has worked in Asia for over 30 years, and has a dual master’s degree from The Wharton School (MBA) and Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Environmental Economics, with a BA from the University of California at Berkeley. He was also inducted into the Int’l Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2020 for his innovative contributions to the sport in running some of Asia’s largest ocean swimming events for 15 years.