What’s blue and green and everything in between? It’s Coast’s annual report on local sustainability and the pioneering locals who are implementing it.
Miocean
Mark Draper, Julie Beckley, Pat Fuscoe, Greg Wohl, Keith Ross. These are people known for building and managing successful big businesses. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a softer, bluer side. In fact, they, along with a host of other OC business leaders, are also avid watermen and members of the board of directors for Miocean, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving water quality along the Orange County coast through environmentally friendly and sustainable projects.
And just like in business, these guys don’t mess around – they get results. As they put it, “they apply a business approach to cleaning up our oceans.” Since its founding in 2001 after board member John Moody nearly died after contracting a staph infection while teaching his children to surf at Doheny, Miocean completed a $1.2 million filtration/diversion system at Doheny State Beach and a $6.7 million ozone filtration system at Salt Creek. Five more success stories followed, until today, when Miocean is tackling one of our toughest pollution problems: the Santa Ana River outflow.
That eco-friendly Santa Ana River Treatment Wetlands Project, which broke ground last year, is, at 17-acres, a bold endeavor, but that’s just the kind that Miocean likes to tackle. “This is a big project,” says Miocean board member Pat Fuscoe. “It’s a big watershed and that’s a lot of dirty water that’s otherwise going into the Santa Ana River and [out] the river jetties, which is a spot we all enjoy for surfing.”
It’s also green, well-managed, very organized, and will be well looked-after. “Those are the three reasons we’re here,” said Fuscoe. “We like that.” – T.L.
:: miocean.org
Orange County Coastkeeper
What do 19th-century English rivers and streams and modern coastal Orange County have in common? They both have “keepers,” wardens who protect and insure rivers and coastlines from pollution, overfishing and abuse. In 19th-century England it was the job of some hardworking naturalist; in modern OC, it’s the task of Coastkeeper. Realizing that his sons couldn’t enjoy the abundant abalone, fish and clams he saw so much of as a kid growing up in Newport Beach, Garry Brown founded Coastkeeper in 1999 to restore coastal waters to their former bountiful glory. It wasn’t easy – one of their first projects was to take on the Irvine Company over runoff issues from Newport Coast development – but Brown soon proved himself a reasonable partner in problem solving and Coastkeeper racked up victory after victory. Not something many environmental organizations can say. To date, Coastkeeper has helped do everything from remove heavy metals from Newport Harbor to educating more than 15,000 students in kelp restoration to holding over a dozen water-testing events. Then there’s the “fun” stuff like the beach cleanups, where over 750 kids showed for an aerial photo – on a well-kept beach. – T.L.
:: coastkeeper.org
A Fish that Saves the Sea
Beverly Factor brings deep oceanic issues to the water’s surface through her newly released children’s book, Angelee Saves the Sea.
Across 40 pages, Angelee the Angelfish embarks on a journey to create a picture book with photographs of all the fishy friends she meets. The photos are accompanied by stories that explain why her friends are endangered and how their habitats can be saved.
While the fictional Angelee intends to give her photo book to the world’s leaders in hopes they will better protect the ocean environment, Factor anticipates Angelee Saves the Sea will educate and inspire the younger generation to give our majestic oceans the respectful treatment and appreciation they deserve.
Factor has traveled and photographed all over the globe, especially the marine world, and many of these gorgeous, original full-color photographs have found their way into the book. “Through real underwater photographs, I want children to really ‘see’ the beauty of the ocean and get to know its inhabitants,” Factor says. – V.C.
:: beverlyfactor.com
L.E.A.F.’s ECOmmercials
In 2010, Orange County-based surf-snow-skate brand Volcom kicked off a filmmaking contest through L.E.A.F. (Leaders of Environmental Action Films) in which OC high school students were challenged to produce an original 30- to 60-second “ECOmmercial” dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues, ranging from organic farming to clean oceans to plastic pollution, and more. The result was overwhelming, so this year the contest was opened up to all California students. Plus, joining Volcom in their effort is another OC-based company, etnies (Sole Tech). For etnies, environmentalism is nothing new. The company’s founder and CEO, Pierre-Andre Senizergues, has been a vocal and active advocate for green issues for over a decade. And he and his shoe company walk the walk: Their south OC headquarters is powered by a rooftop field of solar panels; they were one of the first to have an eco-friendly line of products; and Senizergues was a producer on Leonardo DiCaprio’s eco-documentary The 11th Hour. So this was a natural fit. Likewise, Volcom has a Department of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (following a healthy trend in the action sports and surf industry). “I strongly believe that high school students have the ability to create change in our world,” says Senizergues. “What a powerful combination of incorporating their voice through film to raise awareness about the need to take action to protect our planet.” – T.L.
:: leaf-rocks.com
Green Feast
The Ecology Center’s 2011 Green Feast is September 10 at 4 p.m. The meal features courses by Rob Wilson of the Montage, Shachi Mehra of Tamarind of London, Lindsay Smith-Rosales of Nirvana Grille, Jenny Ross of 118 Degrees, and Yves and Elyssa Fournier of Andre’s Conscious Cuisine. Tickets are $180 for members and $225 for non-members. – S.B.
:: greenfeast2011.eventbrite.com
Back Bay Science Center
This mostly unknown gem located on Shellmaker Island next to Newport Dunes is an undeniable success story. Formerly the Back Bay Research Center and consisting of temporary, insufficient trailers with outdated infrastructure and equipment, the lab’s water quality research capabilities were very limited. But after Miocean (see why we like them too?) partnered with the City of Newport Beach and the California Department of Fish and Game, a $6 million state-of-the-art lab and educational facility was opened in 2008. The Orange County Health Care Agency and UC Irvine are also now partners in the project. Since its opening, the center has been giving the people of Orange County its money’s worth in water testing data and education. An advanced electronic reporting system automatically sends ocean water quality data to the County Health Care Agency for distribution to the public. And the Teaching Lab offers 30-plus Watershed Education programs for both kids and adults. Because of the new design, three times the amount of students (18,000 annually) make their way through the programs. There’s even a Sharkmobile, a mobile aquarium that brings marine life like sea stars, rays and sharks to schools and groups around the county for learning experiences. What’s not to like? – T.L.
:: backbaysciencecenter.org
Inspirational Water
Water is a necessity. Not only does it nourish our bodies and quench our thirst, it’s also crucial for boiling pasta, giving the dog a bath and filling up the pool. However, we can lose sight of how these needs – especially the everyday plastic bottles that hold drinking water – negatively affect our environment.
Enter the inspirational My Own Bottle, a new, eco-friendly water bottle made of a 100% recyclable and all-natural sustainable raw material: glass. “A plastic bottle may take only an hour to drink, but once thrown away, it can take up to 1,000 years or more to break down in a landfill,” says Dan Butler, co-founder of the Huntington Beach-based My Own Bottle. My Own Bottle also circumvents the health risks often caused by plastics, such as endocrine disruption and certain cancers. The Italian glass has zero bisphenol-A (BPA), polycarbonate or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). What’s more, the convenient and dishwasher-safe bottle can be reused.
My Own Bottle is customizable via the etching of a personalized message, or you can purchase a bottle that already has a positive statement. Some choices include “Inspire,” “Peace” or “Namaste.”
“My Own Bottle is fashionable and demonstrates your commitment to making the earth a better place without having to say a word,” says co-founder Michele Butler. – V.C.
:: myownbottle.com
Jim Moriarty’s Big Think Video Blog
No one likes to think small, which is why the Big Think blogs exist. They feature leaders in all areas espousing their big picture ideas on everything from science to business to environmentalism. And one of the coolest is by Jim Moriarty, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, headquartered in Orange County. Tune in to get his two-to-three minute video answers to big questions such as: “Can technology fix climate change?” (possibly); “What is the environmental movement’s biggest mistake?” (pigeon-holing itself); or our favorite, “How scared should we be?” (close to crisis mode). But don’t let that last one fool you. Moriarty’s opinions and solution suggestions are sober, eclectic and inclusive. He also has some practical advice on how to think big, from green changes you can make to opinions on modern day life. “I turned my TV off a decade ago, and I haven’t missed anything,” he says. “You see some insipid drama about some movie star’s stupid habit and you miss the long-term. We are so bogged down by inane, stupid details that we’re missing the big story.” – T. L.
:: bigthink.com
The ECO Warrior Project
When we last caught up with James Pribram, his ECO Warrior project, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, was part of a 13-man crew aboard a 72-foot sailboat sailing from Brazil to South Africa in order to collect data and samples of the South Atlantic Gyre, what media reports have described as a “floating island of plastic garbage the size of Texas.” Incredibly, the gyre had never been researched in person; the proof of its existence had only been documented via satellite data. Since then, Pribram was the 2010 recipient of the Laguna Beach Patriot’s Day Athlete of the Year award and has been rallying the younger generation for his cause. In April he travelled to Sayulita Mexico to participate in the Third Annual SURF-OUT SURFATHON to raise money for Costa Verde International School, the only bilingual and green school in Nayarit, Mexico. He teamed up with El Morro Elementary school’s PTA Green Team for an essay contest on “The Best Way I Can Save My Ocean” (the winner received one of his surfboards). And in August, Pribram joined with Greg and Barbara MacGillivray’s One World One Ocean Foundation, Zero Trash Laguna and Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach to host the first of four quarterly beach cleanups in Laguna Beach. From their staging at the Pacific Edge Hotel, the young ECO Warriors hit the beach to remove trash and recyclables that had been left behind or washed ashore. Coast was on the scene with Pribram to record the event, as well as at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing, where he caught up with two more of our favorite charities.
Surf City Art Company
It’s easy to love and protect a whale or dolphin. But what about a tuna or a trout? Not so cuddly, but ultimately just as important, especially if you think it’s a good idea for future generations to eat. The Surf City Art Company of Huntington Beach does, and they’re putting their art where their passion is. Founded by Gene Rascon, environmental activist and authorized fine art dealer of The Greenwich Workshop, Surf City Art showcases the world’s most beautiful and revered inhabitants of our ocean and freshwater habitats with Flick Ford’s iconic fish art to bring continuous attention to the issue of clean water sustainability. “Whales and dolphins have been popular with people for a while, so we want to bring attention to fish – how amazing they are and how we need to protect them from overfishing for our generation and the next,” says Rascon. “It’s our opinion that it will become a more important issue than fossil fuels.” That’s because a majority of the world population’s protein comes from the sea. We are literally threatening ourselves with malnutrition and starvation. Surf City Art works to benefit conservation organizations such as the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Hubbs-Seaworld Institute, Huntington Beach Surfrider Foundation, and Waves 4 Water. Buy art, save fish. It’s a win-win. – T.L.
:: flickfordart.publishpath.com
PROGRESS REPORT
Since our 2010 Blue Issue, Coast staffer Steve Bramucci has kept track of some of our pet projects and has updates on their progress to date…
MacGillivray Freeman Films: One World One Ocean
When we last checked in on MacGillivray Freeman Film’s One World One Ocean campaign, the project was still a little tough to explain in concrete terms. One thing we did know: It would be big. Of course, MacGillivray Freeman’s highly successful IMAX films have been big too, but nothing close to the scale that they were proposing. One World One Ocean was dreamed up to span IMAX, traditional theaters, TV, and the Internet. It would run the course of an entire decade.
The past year has been spent cementing partnerships, developing a Web platform and shooting footage in the arctic. To the Arctic will be the first movie released under the One World One Ocean banner – it’s set to hit IMAX screens in 2012. The One World One Ocean website has already launched, although a new version is set to launch soon. Shaun MacGillivray, son of MacGillivray Freeman Films President Greg MacGillivray, is a creative producer on the entire project. He describes the online and social media elements as an important piece in the One World One Ocean puzzle. “We want people to be able to join the movement, take steps, download information, and support our cause. Films do a great job of creating awareness, but we wanted something that will be continually relevant to the public.”
In that vein, One World One Ocean is planning 100 one- to three-minute online films focused on the ocean each year for the next 10 years. There will be more IMAX films too, plus the TV series, and there is already a charitable arm of the organization. Did we mention this is a big project?
As far as the MacGillivrays are concerned, it’s all well worth it.
“I was raised as a waterman,” Shaun says. “I’ve been lucky enough to get to visit reefs around the world. They’re beautiful, but I’ve also seen the changes. I’ve seen drop-offs when it comes to reef quality. It’s something that I feel really passionate about. If there was one cause, one campaign that I’d want to be a part of, it would be this one.”
:: oneworldoneocean.org
Moro Campground in Crystal Cove State Park
It’s been a long time coming, but on July 1, Crystal Cove State park opened the long-awaited, much anticipated campground at El Moro. And how has the public reacted? “If we use attendance as our measuring stick, it has been incredibly well-received,” says Todd Lewis, superintendent of Crystal Cove State Park. “On the sunny beach days we’ve been filled to capacity in the day use area. The campground has been at capacity since the day it opened.”
This new entry point to one of Orange County’s most stunning beaches is about more than just lounging in the sand. “Making the beach accessible promotes stewardship,” Lewis says. “We have 2,791 open acres in Crystal Cove State Park right in the middle of Orange County. It’s incredibly diverse – from backcountry trails that wind from the hills down, to the ocean, to the historic district to the marine-protected areas sitting right off our coast. It’s a very special place and anyone who visits will see that it’s worth taking care of.”
:: crystalcovestatepark.com
The Ecology Center
In 2010, we profiled Evan Marks, the founder/director of the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. At the time, the Ecology Center, in partnership with Hurley H2O, had just opened Splash! How Good Water Works – an exhibit aimed at helping visitors better understand – and improve – their personal water footprint. Since then, more than 3,500 people have visited the exhibit and it recently won the prestigious IDEA Award for design. The Ecology Center also published its first book, Backyard Skills, a guidebook full of instructions and illustrations for carrying out do-it-yourself projects large and small.
This year, building on the success of Splash!, Marks and his team have created a mobile water education station to bring to schools and festivals. The goal is to connect with Orange County students, teach them about their role in the water cycle and offer ideas for how they can make positive changes. The exhibit is called The Water Shed, and in a clever play on words, it is exactly that – an old-fashioned looking shed, built on a trailer, which opens out into a range of interactive challenges for students. To make sure that learning about water doesn’t feel dry, the entire experience is a game in which students make choices about water use and have to manage their water shed credits in order to advance to the next level. “We want kids to understand that it’s not about nature versus humans,” Marks says. “We are nature, and every decision we make plays into that. Hopefully, they’ll have fun and go home inspired to make little changes on a daily basis.”
:: theecologycenter.org
Waves for Water
When we last checked in on Jon Rose, the founder of Waves for Water, he was travelling the globe at a breakneck pace, delivering water filters to people in desperate need. Life hasn’t slowed down any for the ex-pro surfer – in the past year he’s been away from home an average of 25 days per month.
In the past year, Rose has been bouncing between Haiti, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, India, and Japan. His work in Japan was a “guerilla relief effort” to bring water filters to the areas hit hardest in March’s massive earthquake. Rose calls the experience “the gnarliest thing I’ve ever done,” which, for a guy who has faced waves the size of houses and was on the front lines of the Indonesia and Haiti quakes, is really saying something.
But Rose isn’t the only person delivering filters on behalf of Waves for Water. The charity’s Clean Water Couriers initiative allows fellow travelers to bring filters to designated hotspots during their own time abroad. “This is the new model for humanitarianism,” Rose says. “We encourage people to exercise their passions, but also to do their part along the way.”
Soon, Waves for Water will launch a new website allowing Clean Water Couriers to interact with each other directly. It’s philanthropy meets social networking – something Rose sees as the direction that organizations like his ought to heed. “One person can’t fix the problem,” he says. “But if everybody does something, then you’ve got a movement. This is an empowerment project across the board, both for the communities we serve and for the person delivering the filters. I always tell people, no matter what happens in my life, I can always put 10 filters in a backpack and go give people water. That’s powerful.”
Last year, Rose stated his goal to live in a world where people don’t die from a lack of clean water. Twelve months later, he continues to power forward. “There are incurable diseases out there,” he says. “Problems without solutions, and clean water isn’t one of them.”
:: wavesforwater.org
Harry Helling and the Crystal Cove Alliance
In the 2010 Blue Issue of Coast, we ran a feature story on Harry Helling, CEO of the Crystal Cove Alliance. In that article, Helling discussed the Citizen Science Programs running in a partnership between Crystal Cove State Park and CCA. The goal was to get guests involved in the protection of the park’s marine resources by studying dolphin behavior and collecting data. Interested visitors checked out Shoebox Science Kits – complete with binoculars and observation worksheets – and agreed to study dolphin behavior in one-hour blocks. The programs have been warmly received, and with state park budgets looking grim, Helling hopes to continually make use of volunteer power. “If you really want to conserve the ocean, getting the public involved in meaningful ways is crucial,” he says.
Last month, the Crystal Cove Alliance partnered with UC Irvine to bring 30 underserved high-school students into the park for a week-long pilot program. The students worked with UCI engineers to design and test underwater cameras. The cameras will eventually be used for surveying biodiversity in the kelp forests off of Crystal Cove. “We’re training the next generation of environmental stewards,” Helling says. “These kids are on the cutting edge of conservation.”
The Crystal Cove Alliance has also recently finished Phase II of their cottage renovation plans. The historic district now hosts an Education Commons and a Film and Media Museum. The museum is built into the cottage where the movie Beaches was filmed in 1988. It will be unveiled at this year’s CCA gala event Surf, Sand and the Silver Screen on September 24.
Both for his grassroots programming and his large-scale renovations, Helling deserves plenty of credit – he has incorporated students into the research being done at Crystal Cove, as well as attracting sponsors to help him achieve big goals. With the waters surrounding Crystal Cove set to become a designated Marine Conservation Area on October 1, Helling plans to continue to use students to chart the efficacy of conservation efforts.
:: crystalcovebeachcottages.org
Oceana’s Bountiful SeaChange
Imagine if you sat down to a fine meal at a reputable restaurant, ordered filet mignon and were served a plate of horse meat. Chances are you wouldn’t smile and dig in; heads would roll and health departments would be called. But the equivalent is happening every day with seafood – antibiotic-loaded, artificially dyed, farm-raised salmon is substituted for wild, sustainably caught salmon; rock fish is substituted for red snapper; tilapia is substituted for grouper – and few forks are rising in protest. Oceana, the world’s largest ocean-based nonprofit organization, is out to change that with their latest campaign against seafood fraud. In addition to lobbying the government to more strictly enforce existing laws, Oceana is doing its own DNA testing around the country and reporting the results of fraud where the organization finds it. It’s a bold effort to stop a scam that not only rips people off but also poses a significant health risk: Consumers may be avoiding a certain species because of toxins and unwittingly eat that very fish. It’s a big problem – and a big fight. Luckily, Oceana has chalked up many big victories. We spoke to Oceana Vice President and Chief Scientist Mike Hirshfield about the problem, the dangers and the solution.
Why should people care about seafood mislabeling?
First, they could well be getting ripped off if they’re spending good money for wild Alaskan salmon and they’re getting farm-raised Chilean Atlantic salmon, or if they’re paying for snapper or grouper and getting tilapia. Second, they may be eating fish that were caught illegally or in an unsustainable manner that by relabeling are essentially being laundered into the regular market. And finally, there’s a real conservation impact because some species may be overfished, but if people see them in the market everywhere, like red snapper, they may say, “What’s the problem?”
What is the incentive to mislabel?
There’s potentially a huge economic incentive. Wild Alaskan Copper River salmon may sell for $25 a pound or portion in a restaurant, but farm-raised salmon may be five bucks a pound, so there’s a strong economic incentive [to substitute and mislabel]. Or you may have species that are out of season but you didn’t want to throw them back and the only way you can sell them is to call them something that’s in season. It all boils down to money.
What are the most commonly mislabeled fish?
In California, there’s a lot of red snapper sold that almost never is. There are a lot of species of what they call rock fish that are [sold as] red snapper or Pacific red snapper, which isn’t a species that exists. Wild salmon and farmed salmon are very commonly substituted. With tuna nobody really knows what’s going on, but tuna is an example of where, depending on the species you’re eating, you may be getting a larger dose of mercury than you think. Fresh tuna is frequently sold just as tuna and we think they should have to say exactly what species it is. Another risk is ciguatera. It’s a toxin certain species are prone to get and it’s something that the FDA has warned about: You may be [avoiding] one problem but getting another because of mislabeling. The last significant one is food allergies. The FDA has recognized that fish and shellfish are highly allergenic. Generally people know what kind of fish they’re allergic to so proper labeling is important.
What are the risks to our oceans?
We have two big concerns. One is that [mislabeling] undermines good fisheries management. Anytime you have fish that have been caught illegally, fish that have been caught out of season or fish that have been mislabeled, it means that the fundamental informationabout what we’re catching is undermined. Good information about what’s going on is essential for knowing if species are healthy or overfished. Mislabeling also undermines consumer campaigns to eat responsibly. So the pressure that the consumer thinks he or she is putting on the restaurant or market by choosing the sustainable choice is completely undercut.
Why is farmed salmon worse than wild salmon for the ocean?
There are a number of reasons. One is that you’re catching wild fish that you or other creatures could be eating to make fish and that’s a losing proposition. Secondly, they’re often raised in high density with lots of fecal material. Often [the farmers] have to keep moving them around because the seafloor dies under them because it gets covered with rotting fecal material. Large amounts of antibiotics are often used, which raises concerns about releasing antibiotics into the environment and creating antibiotic-resistant species – something you try to avoid. Sustainably caught wild salmon doesn’t come with a lot of environmental impact. We recommend Alaskan wild salmon for that reason.
What can people do?
We suggest people ask questions. Ask what country the fish is from, how it was caught, when it was caught. People will get a lot of “I don’t knows” or a lot of stuff that’s made up, but if more and more consumers ask questions, that will change. We’ve talked to people in the industry and they say that when they get a certain amount of questions they start paying attention. It tells them that people care about something.
Can people divine anything from the color of salmon?
Wild salmon is pink because of the food they eat. Farmed salmon is pink because they are fed dyes. In fact, there’s a well-known salmon color wheel that [salmon farmers] use to pick the color they want their salmon to be. They pick it just like you would pick paint for your house. I have heard that when you cook wild salmon it will keep its color more than farmed salmon but I haven’t tested that myself enough to be able to say that’s true.
What would help the FDA stop mislabeling?
This is an overly simplistic explanation, but we think there should be a system in place where a barcode goes along with the fish or box of fish [from the time it’s caught] and just like your FedEx delivery is trackable until it ends up in your supermarket or restaurant. It’s the kind of thing that you don’t have to follow every single one but the information would be available to the individual and, more importantly, it would be auditable by the FDA or the National Marine Fishery Service.
Are you hopeful or wary of the future of our seafood supply?
Both. I think that we have enough success stories under our belt to prove that if we do fish more carefully and responsibly we can bring fish populations back. That said, we always have the possibility of returning to our ways after a success. So I think there will always be an important role for groups like Oceana and consumers to keep the pressure on government to do the right thing. – T.L.
:: oceana.org
