Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
World Ocean Month, Coastal Cities, Ocean Conservation, The Billion Oyster Project, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday! It is also World Ocean Month (World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on June 8), an opportunity to celebrate the beauty of nature, encourage conservation, and take action to restore and protect our oceans. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen and absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans. It also contains 97% of all water on the planet. Although the ocean is vast and powerful, it is more easily polluted and damaged than people think. It’s no coincidence that 40% of Earth’s population and 12 of the top 15 largest cities in the world are in coastal regions, including New York.
If you want to dive deeper into ocean knowledge, consider these documentaries and books. Not only is it important to understand the ocean basics, but the inner child in me loves learning about how powerful our oceans are. I can’t be the only one who wanted to be a marine biologist as a kid?!
Keep reading below for more ocean-related news!
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND OCEAN CONSERVATION PLAN THAT PRIORITIZES INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
The Smithsonian and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just announced the rollout of a National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy. It’s the first nationwide strategy aimed at taking action to save marine life (and, subsequently, all life). The new strategy targets biodiversity loss and calls for a “stronger, more unified and inclusive approach to ocean conservation.” The three approaches include achieving a sustainable ocean economy, protecting and restoring ocean life and increasing research on environmental DNA. Importantly, the first step in the strategy brings together federal agencies, states, Tribes, and local communities to document the economic and cultural values of the ocean, ensuring all costs of a degrading ocean ecosystem are understood and included in decision-making.
Why is this good news? The total ocean territory under U.S. management covers an area larger than all 50 states combined. The ocean contributes nearly $400 billion to the U.S. economy every year, providing 2.4 million jobs in fishing, shipping, tourism, and energy. While protections for marine life have increased in recent years (globally, too!), much of it remains unprotected or misunderstood.
HOW CLEANING UP THE RIVERS IS CLEANING THE OCEANS
The ocean pollution problem is massive and keeps growing. Every day, we dump about 350 tons of trash into the oceans, most of it plastic. While there are efforts to clean up the great pacific garbage patch such as The Ocean Cleanup, and 4Ocean, some experts argue that the most effective strategies should start at the main pathways of ocean-bound pollution, rivers. “When your basement has flooded, you want to turn off the tap first before you mop up the floor.” Inspired by encountering plastic pollution while diving near Cape Verde and realizing prevention was key, Marcella Hansch co-founded the Everwave foundation in 2018. Everwave designed boats with conveyor ramps that can skim up to 20 tons of trash daily from rivers and lakes, preventing plastic from reaching the oceans. Hansch envisions a future where proactive river cleanup makes large-scale ocean cleanups unnecessary.
These boats, deployed in locations like the German Danube and Bosnia-Herzegovina, are equipped with cameras, drones, and AI to analyze and recycle collected trash and identify pollution sources. This approach not only cleans rivers but also significantly reduces ocean pollution. Hansch emphasizes consumer power in reducing plastic waste and engages in educational outreach. Everwave plans to scale up operations in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and is developing HiveX platforms to anchor in trash hotspots, fostering local job creation and sustainable waste management.
HOW CLIMATE CHANGE WILL MAKE HARMFUL OCEAN NOISE WORSE
Human-made noise, primarily from shipping, is overwhelming the natural sounds of the ocean, crucial for marine life communication, mating, and survival. During the early pandemic, reduced shipping led to a rare quiet, revealing how much marine animals rely on sound. However, back-to-normal conditions are producing significant noise from shipping, oil drilling, and construction, doubling every decade since 1960. This noise stresses marine animals, disrupts growth and reproduction, and impedes foraging.
Climate change exacerbates the issue by altering ocean temperature and chemistry, potentially increasing underwater noise. A recent study suggests melting Greenland ice will create a "sound channel" in the North Atlantic, amplifying noise by up to 7 decibels by century's end.
Slowing down the speed of ships is a straightforward noise-reduction solution, as shown by the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program in California, which successfully reduced ship noise and emissions. Other initiatives, like the European Commission's noise cap and the Quiet Sound program for Puget Sound orcas, aim to limit underwater noise. Despite these efforts, compliance issues and emerging industries like deep-sea mining threaten remaining quiet ocean areas. Reducing human-made noise in oceans, especially by targeting river sources and slowing down shipping, is crucial for protecting marine life amid ongoing climate changes.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
ForceBlue is a nonprofit utilizing the skills of retired combat diving veterans to restore ocean health.
Hawai’i is exploring farmed seaweed as a potential solution to methane emissions from cattle.
Upstate New York Lake Ontario designated a National Marine Sanctuary.
Meet the coolest Marine Scientists ever!
Check out these cool lifestyle and fashion brands supporting the ocean.
Once dubbed 'Ocean S****y,' the popular vacation spot, Ocean City, is on track to become the first zero-waste resort town in America
SUSTAINABLE TECH: THE BILLION OYSTER PROJECT
The Billion Oyster Project is a nonprofit organization based in New York City with the ambitious goal of restoring one billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035. Oysters are vital to the ecosystem because they filter water, provide habitat for various species, and protect the city from storm damage by reducing wave impact, flooding, and shoreline erosion. Historically, New York City was abundant with oysters, but overharvesting and pollution nearly eradicated them by the 20th century.
The project reintroduces 100 million oysters annually, involving students, volunteers, and local communities in restoration efforts. One adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, making the oysters a natural and efficient way to improve water quality and sequester carbon, aiding in climate change mitigation. A major project collaboration is with the Living Breakwaters initiative on Staten Island, which uses oyster reefs as part of half-mile-long breakwaters to combat flooding and erosion while creating habitats for marine life.
The Billion Oyster Project also focuses on education, training students at the New York Harbor School for maritime careers and engaging over 100 schools citywide to foster environmental stewardship and climate risk awareness. The project scaled up after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, emphasizing the importance of integrating natural restoration with community education for long-term climate resilience.
“With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live.”
— Sylvia Earle