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October 2007

Speak Out for Our Ocean!

"If you want the future generations to live in peace, we must invest in the protection of the environment"

- Wangari Maathai

Whether we live in Chicago or Shanghai, Nairobi or New York, each of us has an opportunity - and a responsibility - to help conserve our ocean planet for future generations. Take a minute to think about the ocean-related issues that concern you and commit to make a difference. Here are some simple ways to get started!

Three for me...

1. Walk the talk! By making your community more accessible to pedestrians - and bicycles too - you can strengthen the character and livability of local neighborhoods, and help reduce the negative impact of sprawl and pollution on the environment, including our ocean. There is no better time to get started than now: October is International Walk to School month!
   
   
   1. Determine whether your community is walkable. Nothing can spoil a good walk around town like dangerous conditions such as a lack of adequate sidewalks, or hard-to-cross intersections.
   2. Help make your community more "walker-friendly" by encouraging mixed use zoning, speed controlled streets, well linked routes, and the development of public spaces and an intact town center.
   3. Check out these additional resources prepared by the advocacy group, America Walks, for more information on promoting walkable-communities in your area.
      
      
2. Find a common cause. When it comes to pressing environmental issues, an individual can make a lot of progress, but teamwork increases that progress (and fun) exponentially! Join one of these existing conservation organizations or start your own grassroots group.
   
   
3. Clean up. When you de-clutter your garage, purge from your attic, or clean out your closet, see if you can make something other than "landfill" out of those old items, like a charitable donation or maybe even some extra income. If a charity organization like the Salvation Army is not near-by, try one of these online resources:
   
   
   • ThrowPlace - Encouraging users to "take what you need, and throw what you don`t," ThrowPlace.com is an online resource to turn waste into worth.
   • Freecycle Network - This network is "changing the world one gift at a time" by networking individuals with stuff to give away in over 4,000 communities.
   • Craigslist - A free database of thousands of jobs, goods, and services - including an excellent "free stuff" section - used by more than 10 million people worldwide.

...and three for the seas

1. Make your voice heard! Commit to writing one letter to the editor of your local paper this week, or making one call to your elected representative about your environmental interests and concerns; ask them how they are attacking climate change. Your state`s League of Conservation Voters has a wealth of information available to you for determining who and how to best contact "the powers that be."
   
   
2. Share your passion for our ocean. A personal visit to an elected official`s office is often the most effective way to convey your opinions. You don`t have to be an expert on the issues to let him or her know how you feel about protecting the health of our ocean.
   
   
3. Click to contribute! We would all like to be able to donate money regularly to a charity of our choice, and you can for free! Each time you use GoodSearch, a small donation will be made to a good cause that you select (hint: if you type in The Ocean Project your web surfing will help our ocean!)