[Coral-List] Educating the Masses (Lucy Marcus)

Lucy Marcus lucymarcus at gmail.com
Thu Aug 7 21:23:04 EDT 2008


*Educating the Masses*

I was very inspired by the talks at ICRS bravo to the speakers, presenters
and organizers!  I wanted to join the discussion on educating the masses by
encouraging marine scientists to get their message out there in as many
forms as possible: speak at other environmental conferences, add information
to new books and magazines, create educational videos and record radio
podcasts.  I feel encouraged that so many activists, authors and
environmental groups are already taking on the responsibility of educating
the masses about climate change, and they are already presenting the
information in many forms. We just need to support and join them!  Here are
some ideas:

ICRS could use a similar model to share the talks with more people by using
ideas from the environmental *Bioneers Conference*
http://www.bioneers.org/where talks are simultaneously broadcast in 18
cities across the US.
http://beaming.bioneers.org/

'Each October in San Rafael, CA, the Bioneers Conference convenes leading
social and scientific innovators to share stories, present model solutions
and network with each other. Beaming Bioneers Satellite partners receive a
simultaneous broadcast of the Conference plenary talks and complement them
with locally produced workshops, tours and activities tailored to the needs
of specific bioregions.'

Some of this years marine advocates speaking at Bioneers include Alexandra
Cousteau, and Wallace J. Nichols Senior Scientist at Ocean Conservancy.

Every past Bioneers conference is also available on radio podcasts, and
perhaps ICRS could have something similar.
http://www.bioneers.org/radioseries/2008

Every August the innovative conference *Sol Fest*
http://www.solarliving.org/display.asp?catid=17  shares information about
alternative energy and solar power.  'The mission of the Solar Living
Institute is to promote sustainable living through inspirational
environmental education'.  This conference shares an amazing wealth of
information on green energy technology, sustainable living, building, and
farming.

So many NGO's are making a huge impact: *Rainforest Action Network *(RAN)
http://ran.org/campaigns/   'runs hard-hitting campaigns to break America's
oil addiction, reduce our reliance on coal, protect endangered forests and
Indigenous rights, and stop destructive investments through education,
grassroots organizing and nonviolent direct action.'


There also are some inspiring books recently published about innovative
solutions for Climate Change. I found this one in the Airport when leaving
ICRS and it really gave me hope:

*The Plot to Save the Planet:*  How Visionary Entrepreneurs and Corporate
Titans Are Creating Real Solutions to Global Warming
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780307406187.html
By Brian Dumaine

'The Plot to Save the Planet is an illuminating look at the "conspiracy" to
make green technology the Silicon Valley of the twenty-first century—the
creator of massive numbers of jobs and huge amounts of wealth.'
'Suddenly, the ugly mudslinging between environmentalists and big business
has abated, and these two previously opposed forces are now strange
bedfellows in a race to head off climate change.'

Another inspiring book:

*Earth: the Sequel*    http://earththesequel.edf.org/book
By Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn of the Environmental Defense Fund

'The high-stakes race is on. The competitors are the smartest minds in
America. And the prize will be the biggest explosion of wealth ever
witnessed.'
'This book is about the people who will solve the climate crisis and create
wealth at the same time. It is about the minds that will save the planet,
and what we can do to help them.'
'Earth: The Sequel asks of us that we as a nation let them compete fairly in
the world's biggest business. We can avert the crisis, make the planet safe,
and beat the climate challenge.'

Check out this great intro video with interviews of "Earth: the Sequel's"
featured environmentalists.
http://earththesequel.edf.org/trailer

In order to communicate to the public, I have combined my background in
marine biology with creating science documentary videos.  I hope to getting
the word out about scientific research and inspire viewers to care about the
environment.  Videos are a powerful tool that can reach a wide audience and
disseminate information in concise visual medium; information that may
previously have only been available at conferences and in journals.
Educational videos can be played at film festivals, be posted on websites
and be screened in classrooms to provide students and the public with
meaningful, scientifically rigorous information.
*San Francisco Ocean Film Festival* and the *Santa Barbara Film Festival*.
http://www.oceanfilmfest.org/
http://www.ocean.com/index.asp?LocationID=311&CatId=311

Other science filmmakers like the *Wild Classroom*,
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/home/nav/pastvideos.html  make field
research projects into great educational classroom videos.

I hope some of you will be inspired with the messages of positive change in
these various media, and realize that we are not alone in our quest to keep
our Earth's climate stable and protect the reefs we love.

Cheers, Lucy

Lucy Marcus MSc
Kailua, HI
USA

Email: lucymarcus at gmail.com



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