Show the ocean some love

This Valentine’s Day, leading conservation organization Sailors for the Sea is asking millions of U.S. boaters and others to show the ocean some love in celebration of Valentine’s Day, February 14, to help heal its rapidly declining condition. The Newport, RI based group is asking fellow sailors and all lovers of the sea to take the NT3 Pledge: No Trash. No Trail. No Trace.

The urgent request comes on the heels of alarming new research published this month and the ongoing process of Ocean Acidification (sometimes referred to as the evil twin of climate change) caused by carbon dioxide emissions: The ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide than rainforests – one third of all CO2 emissions – which is causing the chemistry of the ocean to change.

“There’s no time to waste,” says David Rockefeller, Jr., founder of Sailors for the Sea. “And I don’t know of a community that loves the ocean more than recreational boaters. We have an extraordinary ability to affect change. For instance, with waste reduction alone, if only 10% of U.S. boaters stopped using single-use bottles for one year, that would reduce our carbon footprint as much as planting 500,000 trees.”

According to a recent New York Times story, “A team of scientists, in a groundbreaking analysis of data from hundreds of sources, has concluded that humans are on the verge of causing unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them.” That new research was published January 16, 2015, in the Journal, Science, strongly warning that:

~ Slowing extinctions in the oceans will mean cutting back on carbon emissions.
~ Human activity is creating large-scale habitat loss.
~ Just one example illustrating the extent of the problem is the 40% decline of Coral reefs worldwide.

“If you cranked up the aquarium heater and dumped some acid in the water, your fish would not be very happy. In effect, that’s what we’re doing to the oceans,” said Dr. Pinsky, a marine biologist at Rutgers University and a co-author of the new Science report, quoted in the New York Times article.

“Salt water and human blood are equally sensitive to changes in acidity (pH),” Rockefeller notes. “If the acid level gets too high, ocean shells and corals-just like human bones- are subject to being dissolved. The result is that 20% of the world’s food supply could disappear, and coral reefs, which are nurseries for young fish could vanish entirely.

“Our goal with the NT3 Pledge is to engage at least 1.2 million in the boating community – or 10% of U.S. boaters within the next three years,” Rockefeller explains. “Sailors for the Sea is intent on uniting millions who love the ocean in what could be the most significant ocean conservation movement of our time – and one that is long overdue.”

Taking the NT3 Pledge and Fighting Ocean Acidification
Since the industrial revolution, the ocean is 30% more acidic due to absorbing excess CO2 in the atmosphere. The No Trash. No Trail. No Trace (NT3) Pledge offers simple actions millions can make to reduce their carbon footprint three ways:

NO TRASH: Pledge to reduce plastic trash—which creates carbon emissions during manufacture, by choosing reusables like water bottles, cutlery and coffee cups.

NO TRAIL: Pledge to reduce your carbon trail by choosing petroleum-free products like non-toxic cleaning products and copper-free bottom paint.

NO TRACE: Pledge to reduce your carbon trace by not idling boat engines, biking and buying carbon offsets.

To take the pledge: CLICK HERE