“Einstein was a pretty smart man but he didn’t know what kids know today. He didn’t see the Earth from outer space,” Dr. Sylvia Earle remarked. She spoke at a Future Wavemakers symposium held at Florida Power and Light’s Manatee Lagoon complex on the Intracoastal Waterway in Riviera Beach, Florida. The event championed the oceans and Dr. Earle’s ambassadorship as a proponent of individual commitment to saving the seas.
“We need the ocean. The ocean really needs us,” Dr. Earle told a large audience of outdoor enthusiasts, parents, teachers, and young people come to enjoy breakfast on the patio overlooking the water and hear innovators describe their devotion to making an impact on ocean conservation, encouraging others to do the same.
With plastic debris and all manner of drastic pollution facing oceans of the world, Future Wavemakers has taken on responsibility for not only educating and inspiring young people to take initiatives personally, the grass roots organization has focussed directly on Florida ocean conservation issues to save fish and wildlife resources.
The creation of Gabrielle Raymond McGee, what started humbly as a means to educate through school incentive programs, Future Wavemakers has become a major avenue bringing scientists and experts together to encourage young and old toward restoring the ocean and securing a future resource that means survival.
Gabrielle was six years old when she watched a television program featuring Dr. Sylvia Earle that inspired her life. It was the eventual drawing force that yielded the non-profit organization that brought Dr. Earle back to Florida to inspire others. “Wavemakers sparks curiosity for kids to dive in and learn about the oceans. We are teaching the next generation about what’s happening. We ask: What’s the one action you can do to make an impact.” Gabrielle McGee said.
“We are looking at the next generation of ocean leaders,” program moderator Danni Washington told the audience, adding, “Wavemakers started as a small ripple,”
Their mantra is that even a ripple in the ocean can make a difference. A theme echoed by program participant, eighteen year old Ryan Moralevitz, who began picking up plastic trash when he was only four years old. “I got told ‘no’ bunches of times. I kept going. Everybody, no matter your age, can make an impact. Just pick up one plastic bag to keep it from blowing into the ocean and killing marine life,” Ryan said.
“I’ll never forget that moment,” Dr. Earle contemplated, letting her words drift back to her own youthful experience underwater long ago as she remained still letting a curious fish watch her then a lobster inspect her, eventually touching her face with its antennas. “Just letting things happen. Give life a chance. At 90 years old, I’m a witness. We can change. There is a downward trajectory with sharks. They’ve been around 400 million years. We are told they are ‘man-eaters.’ I realized I didn’t have to worry about that,” Dr. Earle smiled as the audience laughed. Continuing she added, “We are ‘man,’ eating sharks. They are food yet are being depleted. There are plastics in the ocean that didn’t exist when I was a kid. It’s never too late. We still have a chance. Kids armed with knowledge are armed with power. My inspiration for protecting the oceans came from national parks. I grew up with a concern, seeing land areas preserved and protected. Then I began exploring the oceans. The ocean is a system favorable to us. My birthday wish is to inspire people to do what it takes to establish a network of commitment. We have a gift of being alive. What are you going to do with that gift? Each has a gift of being who you are. Use what you’ve got. Make that little ripple…you can make an impact,” Dr. Earle concluded.
It is a ripple Florida sports enthusiasts have taken seriously to preserve their legacy: the beauty and bounty of the oceans.
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