Heart and Ocean: Nurturing the Blue Economy 🌊

Have you ever wondered why being by the ocean makes you feel so good?  It’s because of what marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols defined as the Blue Mind - the therapeutic landscape enhances the human condition and mental health. The ocean does this and so much for us—providing 50% of our oxygen, holding 90% of our ecological living space, and containing 96.5% of all Earth’s water—yet we continue to ignore it. 

The ocean provides 50 percent of our oxygen, holds 90 percent of our ecological living space, and 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. Yet World Ocean Day on June 8, 2024 came and went on Linkedin with very little mainstream fanfare outside of the pioneers and die-hards who used #WorldOceanDay. As the summer shines on, the state of the ocean remains critical. Those of us who are passionate about the ocean continue to look for ways to make the ocean matter, to make the ocean visible, to inspire humans to understand what the ocean means to us. 

In 2024, the ocean is a pivotal focal point in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. Oceans absorb 25% of atmospheric carbon dioxide and 90% of excess heat, crucial for climate regulation. This absorption alters ocean chemistry, causing acidification and damaging ecosystems like coral reefs. Sea temperatures have risen over 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, threatening marine biodiversity and 300 million people dependent on coral reefs. The UN Secretary-General stresses the urgent need to protect oceans, cut emissions, and preserve carbon sinks to mitigate these impacts and ensure a sustainable future. (Earth.org, World Meteorological Organization)

“If the oceans die, we die.” — Who is Captain Paul Watson? Paul Franklin Watson is a Canadian-American environmental, conservation and animal rights activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. https://www.linkedin.com/in/captainpaulwatson/

But in the distracted age of social feeds, facts like these don’t seem to land. Even for all of our excitement about the Blue Economy’s Innovation Surge, the average person remains unmoved. When all else fails, it never hurts to turn to the arts and humanities for inspiration. The Blue Humanities is an emergent field in academia that is beginning to explore how humans engage with water through literature, culture, history, theory, and ecologies to introduce us to the human story of “water-centric thinking”. Think this sounds too arcane? This excerpt from Alison Elene Glassie’s dissertation on Novels of the Floating World places these concepts within reach:

“By virtue of our bodily fluid composition and our evolutionary descent from marine life, human beings are bodies of saltwater. Calling salt water “the fluid currency of our organism,” Kimberly Patton reminds us that we are fish in utero, swimming in saline amniotic fluid. Referencing the salt content of human blood, tears, and sweat—the same as that of the sea—Julia Whitty writes “we carry the ocean within ourselves, in our blood and in our eyes, so that we essentially see through seawater” (“The Fate of the Ocean”). Often, we are unaware of the seawater through which we see.”

Our eyes biologically and materially, the way we see the world, are literally lensed through salt water from the oceans that cover the majority of our space faring planet. That water, ocean water, is pulsing through our veins, removing the toxins in our system through sweat and tears, connecting us to the movement of tides. When will we bring that connection into our awareness?

Beyond literature and the humanities, the Blue Economy is inspiring awe with a new generation of start ups, initiatives and foundations. Here are some of the most inspiring:

Kelp forests cover 28% of the oceans coastlines and are one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on the planet. Forests of the Sea collaborates with other organizations on a global program to protect these unique ecosystems using the tools of science, policy work and storytelling. Forest of the Sea created a  beautiful film that brings our underwater landscape to life. Films and initiatives like these can be found on Parley where creators raise awareness about the beauty and fragility of our oceans.

When we think of ocean clean up, we imagine volunteers combing beaches to pick up debris left from careless visitors. Instead we should envision the 110,000 tons of plastic floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (consists of 160 pieces of plastic per person living on the planet). Thank goodness for Boyan Slat and his Ocean Cleanup’s whose goal is to clean up 90% of this ocean plastic pollution by 2040 using large scale cleaning technologies. The initiative is creating a new circular economy that feeds the emerging regenerative plastics and fishing nets industry. You can find a mini-documentary about these efforts on PBS. 

“For society to progress, we should not only move forward but also clean up after ourselves.” Boyan Slat https://www.linkedin.com/in/boyanslat/

On land, it’s known that industrial agriculture harms the environment through pollution of air, soil and water. But off land, few of us are aware of the harms of industrial scale overfishing. These practices are stripping the ocean of life - over 70% of the ocean is not protected and therefore open to continued mismanagement. The Blue Marine Foundation is determined to address these issues: conducting blue investigations to uncover the damage we’re doing, securing marine protected areas, developing models of sustainable fishing, and restoring marine habitats. Most inspiringly, their collaborations with artists showcase the meaning and depth of our connection with these topics. For example,British light artist Chris Levine created “7.83 Hertz” to take us into the strange, subaquatic netherworld of the ocean. Be sure to visit the Blue Marine Foundation’s immersive website journey into the sea for even more inspiration.

As we turn our attention to the ocean and elevate our awareness of what the ocean means to us, the Blue Economy will be waiting to welcome us and lead us through a gateway to a new, sustainable and resilient future. New activists understand that the future is more than erasing the harm we’ve done in the past, but requires us to create new ways to thrive.  Now is the time to amplify the issues facing our blue planet so we can act on the opportunities for care and conservation. The final article in this series will outline how we can take that action. 

Why We’re Writing This Series Together

Charles Gadsdon, Founder of Born Slippy, and Eliza Yvette Esquivel, Founder of Love & Order, are co-authoring this article to highlight the transformative potential of the Blue Economy. Since 2021, Born Slippy has been showcasing the people, brands and organizations pioneering positive environmental practices with a core focus on ocean conservation. Love & Order focuses on guiding visionary leaders towards a sustainable and Protopian future through strategic consultancy and transformative leadership practices.

Together, we aim to inspire brands and people to engage with the Blue Economy, driving economic growth and environmental sustainability. 

By combining our expertise and shared vision for a better world, we hope to catalyze meaningful change and promote the adoption of sustainable practices across industries.