I’m very excited to have participated in the EQ/Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) Ocean Stewardship Eco Sprint. The California Academy of Sciences hosted this incredible event which had me looking forward to diving deeper into some of the on-the-ground work that is happening in the arena of ocean conservation, restoration, and innovation. This was a great opportunity for brilliant minds working across various spaces to cross-pollinate, network and find solutions to the ocean’s grand challenges.
Though my time at this Eco Sprint event was incredibly inspiring, it was also deeply distressing to learn of all the problems humanity has inflicted upon our planet’s waters. To see data which show mass extinctions from rising water temperatures, pollution, over-fishing, and acidification are all likely to occur before the end of the century it really hit home how urgent these problems are.
Although this information is frightening, there are teams of innovators all around the world devising and executing plans to overcome major challenges and improve the health of these ecosystems. Part of the arsenal to save our seas are strategies such as geo-engineering waterways, looking for food alternatives, elimination of carbon emissions, debris and pollution cleanup, restoration of environment and protection of wildlife populations are all part of the arsenal to save our seas.