President
Sophie Ringel
Sophie Ringel is the founder of Clean Miami Beach, a non-profit organization dedicated to hosting weekly cleanups with the goal of removing trash and raising awareness about the detrimental effects of plastic on our fragile ecosystem.
Born in Germany, she relocated to Miami in 2016, where she later married alocal resident. Despite holding a degree in graphic design, Sophie's true passion lies in addressing environmental concerns, particularly focusing on sustainability and preservation efforts.
Her commitment to environmental advocacy intensified as she walked along the shoreline and witnessed vast amounts of trash and pollution, especially singleuse plastics. This experience sparked her inspiration to establish a weeklybeach cleanup initiative. To date, Clean Miami Beach has conducted 316 cleanups, inspiring and educating 12,600 volunteers, resulting in the removalof 96,818 lbs of debris from Miami Dade County’s beaches, parks, and waterways.
In recognition of these endeavors, Clean Miami Beach and Sophie Ringel have received media coverage from esteemed outlets such as ABC, CBS, and FOXnetworks, Miami Herald, the Miami New Times, Voyage Miami Magazine, and manymore. Their efforts have also received international acclaim across various countries in Latin America and Europe. Furthermore, Clean Miami Beach's and Sophie Ringel's dedication led to winning the Better Beach Award bythe Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2022, along with Sophie's nomination as "Badass Woman of the Year" by the Miami Chamber of Commerce in thesame year. She was honored with the Unsung Hero Award by the City of MiamiBeach in 2020 and the Citizen Impact Award by the Collins Park Neighborhood Association in 2019. This recognition resulted in a proclamation by Commissioner Alexander Fernandez, designating July 1st to July 7th as"Clean Beach Week" to honor Clean Miami Beach in 2022. Clean Miami Beach has made a lasting impact on marine and terrestrial life in SouthFlorida, while also raising awareness about single-use plastic and other unsustainable practices within the community. With each passing week, CleanMiami Beach continues to inspire citizen involvement and contribute countless man-hours towards the restoration and protection of our beautiful and unique ecosystem. Sophie’s infectious enthusiasm serves as a driving force, motivating local communities to adopt more sustainable habits and lifestyles.