Misha Peleg is widely known for his business acumen and the list of successful companies that have won him numerous awards over the years. But it is his love for the environment and nature that inspire him to advocate for cleaner waterways and shine a light on the preservation of aquatic species endangered by pollution.
Misha Peleg is an avid scuba diver a devoted outdoorsman. It is no surprise that he is often known to speak passionately about the plastics that are destroying our oceans and killing aquatic life. Anyone who knows Mischa well has heard him speak with urgency about the eight million tons of plastic that end up in our oceans every year. And because plastic does not decompose, it is an environmentally devastating disaster that continues to grow.
Marine species ingest plastics or become entangled in plastic waste, becoming severely injured or dying from the effects. It is a huge problem that Misha has seen firsthand as a world-class diver who has dived acclaimed venues around the world. He is especially concerned about the long-term effects plastic waste has on endangered sea turtles, which are struggling to survive even without the perils of pollution.
Sea turtles have been around for 100 million years, but their existence is now threatened due to man-made waste, primarily plastics, Misha is quick to note. In fact, plastic has been found in the stomachs of one-third of all leatherback turtles that have died since 1968. Turtles are especially susceptible to ingesting plastic bags, which look to them like floating jelly fishes, algae or other components of their diet. Research suggests that as many as 52 percent of sea turtles have ingested plastic at some time.
As a result, Misha Peleg decided to quietly support waterway cleanups across the globe through anonymous donations that focus on removing plastics from beaches, rivers and lakes. He advocates strongly for a reduction in the use of plastic and promotes awareness about how much plastic is ending up in our waters and causing irrevocable damage.
As a scuba diver, Misha’s passion to protect sea life stems from decades of diving around the world and witnessing the beauty of the deep. Without change, everything from the electric green moray eels to giant groupers, slow-moving manatees, sea turtles, barracuda and parrot fish may someday disappear, he worries.
Peleg’s personal mission is to increase awareness of the dangers of plastics, encourage a reduction in the use of plastic, and dive as many venues as he can to witness to the natural beauty that comprises our world.
Misha Peleg is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist. Having founded several highly successful companies since the early 1990s, he uses his business success to support a wide range of non-profit organizations throughout the world.