A New Wave of Ocean Education

the oceans

are important really really important

few of us fully understand just how

important the oceans are but it’s

important that we do

because our actions even small choices

are impacting them

a lot and without healthy oceans well

things would look vastly different

around here so

let’s start by discussing this

importance and

forgive me for saying the word important

what felt like

10 times just trying to get a point

across the oceans

are important having grown up on the

rocky coast of maine

the ocean’s influence was inescapable

you needn’t look further than

our school’s mascots to get the idea

anyone outside of maine

always gets a laugh when i explain that

not one but both my

middle and high school mascots were old

wooden ships

from family members and friends to

classmates and peers

our community relied on the ocean

not only for livelihoods but something

deeper and less definable

the ocean served as a source of

inspiration for

authors artists and poets and as a young

kid

it was our biggest playground for

mainers the ocean is

inseparable from our heritage identity

and culture as the founder of saltwater

classroom

a non-profit focused on ocean education

i’ve come to realize that the ability of

the ocean to

shape lives and communities in this way

is

by no means unique to maine in fact

it’s kind of the norm in coastal

communities

all around the world the ocean defines

us

to begin with more than 40 percent of

the world’s population

lives less than 100 kilometers roughly

60 miles

from the coast many in fast-growing

coastal cities

the livelihoods or the basic needs of

more than 3 billion people

are directly tied to marine and coastal

biodiversity just like they are in my

hometown

almost half of the world’s population

relies on the ocean as their main source

of protein

the ocean is estimated to generate

between three and

six trillion dollars annually for our

global economy

over 80 percent of world trade is moved

by the ocean and

that number will inevitably continue to

grow as

arctic ice melts and previously

unexplored roots

are made accessible and well it’s easy

for

those of us in coastal communities to

grasp the importance of the ocean

it’s understandably harder for people

removed from it by hundreds or

thousands of miles to fully comprehend

just how important our oceans are

if you’re not directly witnessing the

food harvesting the coastal tourism

the maritime trade it’s with these it’s

within reason to think that

maybe the ocean doesn’t impact you if

you find yourself thinking

yeah i can see the ocean being important

for mainers or people who live on

islands or fishermen but i live in

nashville or ciudad de mexico and

i don’t even like seafood so

i’d encourage you to think again let’s

go deeper

the ocean is the defining feature

of our planet it covers almost

three-quarters

of the surface of the globe and

represents the world’s single largest

ecosystem

the ocean and the life it supports is

responsible for generating

over half of the world’s oxygen supply

every other breath we take we ought to

be thanking

phytoplankton kelp sea grass

seaweed on top of the air we breathe

the oceans drive our climate and shape

our weather patterns yes

even in nashville or mexico city the

ocean is the source of

several innovative discoveries in

sectors such as pharmaceuticals and

agriculture

and with more than 80 percent of the

oceans still unexplored

it inevitably holds the key to solving

many future challenges

in food production health and more

life itself began in the ocean

and has relied on its resilient and

diverse systems

every day since

whereas most people may not fully

understand just how critical the oceans

are

i believe the majority would acknowledge

that they are in a

bit of a tricky place i’d wager that

most of you have

heard of overfishing maybe even bycatch

you’ve likely seen news stories about

coral reefs declining

maybe you’ve seen an example of coral

bleaching

stronger storms and tidal surges and sea

level rise are

topics you probably have some level of

familiarity with

and if you’ve been to the coast in the

past

five years chances are you’ve seen

firsthand

the issue of plastic pollution there’s

really

no denying it around the world the ocean

is suffering our human activity largely

in the last

70 years or so has placed an enormous

amount of stress on the ocean

environment

through coastal development extractive

industries

pollution and the combustion of fossil

fuels

ocean habitats have been destroyed

species threatened

and the delicate balance of the ocean

reached over millennia altered

excessive harvesting has depleted fish

stocks with over 30 percent of fisheries

classified

as over exploited increased atmospheric

carbon dioxide has disrupted the very

chemistry

of seawater and led to the devastating

phenomenon

of ocean acidification marine pollution

has reached

unprecedented levels with a staggering

average of 13

000 pieces of plastic present on every

square kilometer

of ocean this ocean plastic degrades

into microplastics which have now been

detected in marine organisms from

plankton

to whales in commercial in commercial

seafood and

even in our drinking water these

problems and more

pose serious threats not only for the

health

of the ocean but the health of humankind

as well

additionally around the world these

burdens

are unequally shared

with our growing dependence on the

services provided

by the ocean and its greater

vulnerability the way

in which we respond to these challenges

will ultimately dictate the future

sustainability of our species

if we hope to protect our economies our

homes

our food sources the respiratory system

of our planet and the world’s

single largest ecosystem we have to

start treating

our oceans differently what do we do

what can you do what is this all about

education is the answer to understanding

and one day

reversing the undue stress humans have

placed on the ocean

we have reached this point of severe

degradation because

as a species we did not know how our

actions were

impacting the environment but we can use

that excuse

no more and now it is our responsibility

to

ensure that everyone knows

i was first introduced to the immense

potential

of environmental education during my

undergraduate years

at northeastern university at the time

my

educational focus centered on urban

coastal sustainability and

i had the opportunity to live and study

in vina del mar

a seaside city in chile while

researching the

environmental and social scenarios

impacting sustainable development

in latin america it became clear to me

that environmental education was

not only necessary but a fairly simple

solution to

pressing ocean issues new technologies

and

innovations and management strategies

are undoubtedly

part of the picture but for that picture

to be

the reality for those strategies to

really take hold

the base level how we think about the

oceans

must change and this is where education

comes in

there is a unique power vested in

education

to change the way in which society views

and

consequently treats the environment

when you learn about something whether

it’s sea turtles

or salt marshes you gain an appreciation

for that something

in turn this appreciation leads you to

assign value to it in your mind

and when something is of value to

someone it leads that individual to

feel concerned for it and possess a

desire to protect it

an urge to see that no harm comes to it

environmental education inspires people

to make changes towards a

sustainable future by equipping them

with the necessary tools to make

informed decisions about their

environment actions

and impact it’s an amazing thing

really the power that learning has

and it doesn’t take much a thoughtfully

crafted curriculum

implemented widely across a city or

community can

significantly change the attitudes of an

entire generation

this shift in thinking spurred by

education is what is needed on a large

scale

for our oceans because of their

undeniable

planetary importance because of their

integral role in our human lives because

of the

severity and immediacy of the issues

facing them

because of the very nature of the ocean

its inherent

obscurity we are land mammals

after all and despite this

education focused on the ocean marine

science or

conservation broadly referred to as

ocean literacy

is largely absent from curricula around

the world

this absence reflects the decades-long

mindset

of the ocean and ocean issues being cast

aside

relegated to the back burner that old

out of sight

out of mind trope unfortunately this has

led

to the state of our oceans today

exploited

depleted and polluted

education has the power to change this

the power to

eliminate the apparent underlying apathy

towards the ocean education gives people

a reason to care

yes it’s certainly worth noting that

there

is a great deal of laudable action being

taken to address

ocean issues there’s progress in the

form of marine protections and

industry changes and responsible tourism

and a wide swath

of people making everyday choices to be

better stewards

of our environment but in order to

ensure

lasting significant sustainable change

environmental stewardship ocean

stewardship

must be the charge of everyone not just

the conscientious few to achieve this

societal

systematic shift we must start at the

beginning

and that is education

while in chile between time exploring

the small fishing villages the desert

and salt flats in the north the

mountains in the south

i volunteered each week in a fifth grade

classroom

it was here in this classroom an

impoverished neighborhood

in the saros or hills above the city

that

everything i had learned up to that

point

my background my childhood my

experiences and education

coalesced and i saw an opportunity

an opportunity for students around the

world

to learn about our oceans connect with

one another

and share in this education and together

grow

a network of young people committed to

our oceans

this is how saltwater classroom was born

saltwater classroom is committed to the

vision

of a sustainable future for our blue

planet

forged through education what does this

education look like

it’s hands-on experience based immersive

learning

designed to connect students regardless

of where they may live

to the ocean in new and meaningful ways

ways that will last and grow and

naturally progress

into a lifelong ethic of ocean

stewardship

whether through in-person workshops or

virtual education

our program is driven by this proven

impactful

approach it’s interdisciplinary

yes rooted in science and conservation

but

incorporating art and music and language

because

as humans we connect to the ocean in all

number of ways

and our education should reflect this

through this approach we seek to inspire

all students because we all must be

better stewards

of the ocean not just those with an

inclination to science

and lastly ocean education with

saltwater classroom

is global covering over 70 percent

of the planet our oceans and the many

issues confronting them

are about as global as it gets within

this

is an amazing opportunity to bridge

geographic distances and cultural

divides

and unite students through a passion for

the ocean

we achieve this by facilitating global

connections through

technology integrated education linking

students in maine

and mexico for example over a common

interest or

favorite species or local issue

i am often asked what an individual can

do

to help the ocean and my answer is

always

keep learning learn about an issue that

speaks to you

whether it be microplastics or ocean

acidification or a certain

endangered species learn one thing that

you can change

in your home your daily routine your

closet

your diet learn how you can make a

difference in your community

do a beach cleanup sign and share a

petition

champion legislation that drives

progress

be open to ways that you can broaden

your understanding of the ocean and

its role in our lives in your life

and if you’re able support

ocean education share it with your

friends and encourage it

in your community because there is a new

wave

of ocean education on the horizon it’s

coming

and it’s growing and i would like

nothing more than for you

to be a part of it thank you