In Tulum, the ocean is not just a backdrop — it’s the heart of a movement. This June, two powerful gatherings reminded us that regeneration is not a future goal, but a living, breathing act of community, ceremony, and radical love.
World Ocean Day Ocean Tulum
On June 8, 2025, we celebrated the first World Ocean Day experience to be held at Delek Tulum, a hotel known for its conscious hospitality, deep connection to the land and sea, and a beautiful and inspiring ethos called Radical Love. We gathered over 40 participants to experience wisdom, movement and action together, including an afternoon of learning from environmental advocates, biologists, Mayan wisdom keepers, and ocean warriors.
Highlights from the Day:
Biologist, Dr. Rocío Peralta Galicia’s presentation, “Marine Turtles: A Tale of Survival,” offered a poignant look into the life cycle of sea turtles, the incredible journey of female turtles who return to the very beaches where they were born, often decades later. She detailed the increasing challenges they face due to coastal development, shifting habitats, and human interference. From threats to nesting grounds — including predators and beach dogs — to the perilous journey hatchlings must take from nest to sea, Dr. Peralta painted a vivid picture of a delicate cycle under growing strain. The mounting presence of sargasso and unchecked construction further jeopardize these ancient journeys, underscoring the urgent need for protection and community education.
Dr. Michael Lande of Vortex Vitality Spa and Clinic shared a profound reflection on the biological, emotional, and spiritual connection between the human body and the ocean in his talk “Waters Within, Waters Without.” He reminded us that our bodies are not only made of water — we are a living memory of the sea. Our internal fluids, particularly cerebrospinal fluid, mirror the composition of ancient ocean water and cradle our central nervous system, acting as a personal tidepool that holds both physiological and emotional memory. Dr. Lande explored how pollution in the ocean mirrors toxicity in the body, and how healing one helps heal the other. He drew parallels between rising sea levels and rising stress levels, between environmental stagnation and internal stagnation, and invited us to consider regeneration as a practice of clearing, restoring, and rebalancing both within and without.
Olmo Torres-Talamante shared the goals of the Tulum Coral Regen Fund, working to regenerate up to 5,000 coral colonies per site. Through reef restoration, the project rebuilds vital marine ecosystems, as well as creates a culture of stewardship by training local youth and volunteers to become citizen scientists. At the Blue Hope site, just offshore from Tulum, coral nurseries thrive as symbols of both ecological resilience and community empowerment. Olmo’s work highlights how science, local participation, and hope can converge to restore the living reef systems that protect and define the Riviera Maya coastline.
Aiesha Cosmos spoke about the consciousness of water, reminding us that everything carries a vibration — from our thoughts and words to the substances we consume. Through a lens of spiritual ecology, she invited us to become more intentional with how we nourish ourselves, knowing that water responds to energy and emotion. She also spoke of water as a holder of memory, capable of surfacing the subconscious and helping us integrate what lies beneath into the light. Her message was clear: healing the planet begins with healing our own internal waters.
I introduced regenerative finance (ReFi) as a tool to realign money with meaning, showcasing local token rewards, NFT campaigns, and blockchain transparency as new economic infrastructure for regeneration.
A special message from Petgas shared their progress internationally on their clean fuel innovation using non-catalytic pyrolysis to turn plastic waste into energy, with plans to bring the tech to Tulum.
Gerardo Nieto of Tulum Circula presented updates on Tulum’s waste infrastructure, including the monthly Reciclatón and Puntos Limpios, and how community cooperation is essential to the fulfillment of a circular economy.
Cristhian Chablé, Mayan entrepreneur and author of Conecta con el Ser, closed with reflections on personal regeneration as a foundation for planetary healing. Drawing from his book, he emphasized that true leadership begins with reconnecting to our inner essence and aligning with a higher purpose. In his words, regeneration is not only about restoring ecosystems, but about being in sacred service — to our communities, to the Earth, and to future generations.
Check out this awesome recap video from our media partners, Huddle Puddle on the full World Ocean Day experience.
Radical Ocean Love: From Dialogue to Deepening
Just three weeks later, we returned to Delek for Radical Ocean Love — a new monthly immersion series that combining joyful action, education, and reverent ceremony by the ocean. The day opened at sunrise with a beach cleanup and a delicious volunteer breakfast. What followed was more than just programming — it was a remembering.
Alejandro Glatt led us in a Gratitude Ocean Fruit Ceremony, blending ritual and symbolism in a moving offering of fruit and its nourishing sacred essence —in a celebration of collective intention, in this case our radical ocean love.
I also expanded on themes from the previous symposium, taking inspiration from Delek’s radical love manifiesto with a talk called New Economies for an Ancient Ocean: Radical Love as a
Value System. My talk invited attendees to envision a future guided not by extraction, but by care, creativity, and connection. Blockchain, ReFi tools, NFTs, and decentralized systems can act as as the infrastructure for a new oceanic economy rooted in radical ocean love.
Karla Acevedo, founder of Tulum Sostenible and longtime waste management advocate, delivered a compelling talk on how our relationship with waste mirrors our personal and collective values. With data, heart, and a systems-thinking approach, she challenged us to take greater responsibility in our everyday choices. Her initiative, Puntos Limpios, is a network of recycling drop-off stations strategically placed throughout Tulum’s neighborhoods and public areas. It serves as both infrastructure and education — empowering citizens to separate, sort, and properly dispose of recyclable materials. To date, Puntos Limpios has reached over 15,000 people and diverted more than 85 tons of waste from landfills, illegal dumps, and waterways, asignificant achievement in a region with limited infrastructure, no official landfill, and where unmanaged waste poses a direct threat to the fragile ecosystem and underground aquifers.
What’s Next: Tulum’s Path of Regeneration
The work is far from over. In fact, we are just getting started! ReFi Tulum‘s Guardians of Nature will continue organizing high-impact, community-driven activations, with plans to do more for Tulum and the planet. We are excited to steward our own local habitat in more amazing initiatives such as coral restoration, tree planting / reforestation, supporting our local recycling infrastructure, safeguarding nesting turtles, continuing our monthly cleanups and supporting artists in their web3 journeys.
Tide by tide, we regenerate.
To join us or support the movement, visit our website or follow us on instagram: @refitulum
Full Disclosure: Author is cofounder of ReFi Tulum and is working in partnership with Delek, however this is not a paid post.
