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Seeing oil in the Gulf with my own eyes

2010-06-18T18:40:02Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

There was a collective gasp on our boat in the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, La., when we saw the oiled pelican. It was our first day out on the water and there it was right before our eyes: coated in oil, floating on the water’s surface, and flapping its wings – desperately trying to fly away as a wildlife rescue crew scooped it up in their net. But as horrifying a scene as it was – I took comfort in knowing this one, at least, has a chance.

(Photo above by Nathaniel Welch; all photos below by NRDC on Flickr.)

I just returned from my first trip to Louisiana with NRDC’s latest team in the region – including the Director of our Oceans Program Sarah Chasis and NRDC marine scientist Lisa Suatoni – where we got our first look at ground zero as the Gulf oil disaster continues. As I packed my bags before heading south, I had tried to brace myself for what I was going to see – communities suffering, wildlife struggling and the iconic Gulf filled with brown, toxic gook. I knew it was coming, and I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. But it’s hard to prepare yourself for something like this.

The first oil I saw was floating by our boat in brown, algae-like pieces that clung to the side of a Styrofoam cup when scooped up.

Then, iridescent, rainbow sheen on the surface and thick, rust-colored mousse smothering the reeds and bushes where hermit crabs struggled to climb away on barrier islands at Four Bayous Pass, near Venice.

When we first set off, I was struck by the dueling landscapes that lay on top of one another in this region. Meandering grassy marshes, teaming with life -- from alligators to egrets, pelicans, and jumping fish -- weave in and out of towering industrial infrastructure for the oil and gas industries. Dolphins and their calves cruise the open water and birds dive for fish against the backdrop of oil rigs on the horizon. Here, rich nature and heavy industry share the same space, trying to survive side-by-side.

Shortly after leaving the marina, the evidence of the disaster struck us from all sides. Immediately overhead we saw two large helicopters dropping sandbags on barrier islands to protect oil from spreading up channels. Dolphins fins popped up in every direction and a local fisherman later told me they are accustomed to following shrimp boats for easy hunting – now those boats are where the oil is, dragging skimmers. Our boat captains told us they would normally be out shrimping themselves, but now they’re giving tours of the destruction, just five years after Katrina destroyed their community. And oil in its various forms reared its ugly head off the side of our boat.

It was heartbreaking and infuriating. Yet, as angry as I was – I felt hopeful that we can make something good come out of this mess. We need to stop the oil from gushing. We need to stop new drilling until we figure out what went wrong here so we can prevent it. We need to wake up and realize this is the cost of our addiction to oil and we can do better than this. We can and we must move toward clean energy sources that can’t spill, run out or leave this kind of human and environmental destruction in its path.

We can make sure this never happens again.

How about wine, a documentary & a little e-activism this evening?

2009-10-15T16:37:21Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

It's Blog Action Day today - an event that brings together more than 6,900 bloggers to take online action on global warming. This is the largest single social action event on the web and NRDC is a partner.

As I was putting together this post in honor of the day, I was distracted by my daily alert email from my favorite wine shop in the city. It encouraged me to pick up a bottle from a Long Island winery that uses primarily wind and solar energy to power their estate. Intriguing!

And what would pair well with a tasty, local, green-powered red on global warming action day, I thought?

How bout NRDC's new documentary on ocean acidification - Acid Test? The film airs on Discovery Planet Green throughout the month and is now available online in full at www.acidtestmovie.com.

Award winning actress Sigourney Weaver, known for her narration of the stunning Planet Earth series, narrates. The short film is visually striking, entertaining and educational all in one, and fitting to mention during today's event as it explores a phenomenon some have dubbed "the other carbon problem."

We all know carbon dioxide emissions are to blame for global warming - but did you know they're also making our seas more acidic, threatening catastrophic changes to the entire ocean food web? Sigourney blogged about it on the Huffington Post yesterday, and summed up the takeaway so well I have to quote her here:

"The scientists are freaked out, but they still have hope, as do millions of other Americans. Hope that our policy makers will listen to the scientific facts, take them to heart and begin America's transition to a clean energy economy. An economy based on efficiency and renewable power that will build a workable future for all living things."

Fortunately, our policymakers in Congress are poised to do just that - as the clean energy and climate bill makes its way through the Senate this fall.

Join me in taking part in today's online action day by telling your Senators you want them to make it law here. And then feel free to reward yourself this evening with a local wine and some quality down time with our film - you've earned it.

ACID TEST: New NRDC documentary on Discovery Planet Green Aug. 12

2009-08-06T22:20:21Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

Next Wednesday night a new, groundbreaking documentary from NRDC featuring Sigourney Weaver - ACID TEST: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification - will premiere on Discovery's Planet Green.

ACID TEST explores "the other carbon problem" - the startling phenomenon of ocean acidification, which could challenge the health of the ocean ecosystem on a scale that has not occurred for tens of millions of years.

Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide pollution - which is not only the primary cause of global warming - but also profoundly alters ocean chemistry, rapidly making the water more acidic. The rising acidity may soon kill off critical species to the ocean food chain.

ACID TEST explores this issue through animations, stunning ocean views, and a range of expert voices - including NRDC Senior Scientist Lisa Suatoni. NRDC's own Daniel Hinerfeld co-directs.

Check out this out-take from the film below, and tune-in with me Aug. 12 - or catch it later this month when it re-airs!

Acid Test premieres on Discovery Planet Green on Wednesday, August 12 at 10:30 p.m. and re-airs throughout the month. For showtimes and more information go to: http://www.nrdc.org/acidtest.

TAKE ACTION:

Pass a Strong Climate Bill: Fight the pollution that causes ocean acidification and global warming - urge your senators to support strong climate and energy legislation.
Pass a National Healthy Oceans Act: Tell your Representatives to support a Healthy Oceans Act, like a Clean Air Act for our air or a Clean Water Act for our water.

NYT's fashion & design blog on NRDC's new oceans film by Ari Marcopoulos

2009-05-06T13:40:33Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

There was a great post Friday in "The Moment" (fashion & design blog for the New York Times' style magazine, T) about NRDC's new oceans film by Ari Marcopoulos, Seventy-One Percent of Earth.

The film stars a handful of well-known big wave surfers and calls for the creation of Marine Protected Areas, like national parks of the sea, to revive our oceans. In an excerpt from the post, here's how writer Aimee Walleston describes it:

"Ahh, the surf film. Endless, hypnotic iterations of tanned gods riding the crest, shooting the curl and hanging ten. Think Bud Browne's "The Big Surf" or Bruce Brown's "The Endless Summer," both classics of the sunny life. But leave it to the art photographer and T contributor Ari Marcopoulos to add a splash of avant garde to the genre and a topical political imperative...

"...The film mixes up de rigueur sweet action footage of inimitable surf talents - including Grant "Twiggy" Baker, the Long Brothers, Brian Conley, Frank Solomon and Anthony Tashnick - with lingering shots of the Pacific, many as seen through Marcopoulos' beloved fisheye lens. Such imagery recalls the artist's own realist photographs of athletes and nature, and offer a take on surf culture that is meditative without venturing into the depths of cliché..."

The post goes on to include a Q&A with the filmmaker on why he chose to work with surfers, how working on the film affected him, and what it was like working with actor Peter Coyote on the narration - check it out!

And if you haven't yet seen the film, you can watch it here.

Want to see more action toward healthy oceans nationwide? Tell your representatives in Congress you want a national Healthy Oceans Act.

New oceans film out today from NRDC & Ari Marcopoulos!

2009-04-29T13:25:39Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

NRDC's new oceans film from artist Ari Marcopoulos is out today, starring a handful of well-known big wave surfers, narrated by Emmy-award-winner Peter Coyote, and highlighting the importance of Marine Protected Areas!

Surfers Rusty & Greg Long, Grant "Twiggy" Baker, Frank Solomon, Brian Conley and Anthony Tashnick spend more time in the ocean than most of us, and in addition to getting in the water for the film - they reflect on why they feel it's important to protect it.

Filmed largely in Northern California - with gorgeous birds-eye-view shots of the rugged coastline and roaring waves - it's a call for the creation of Marine Protected Areas (national parks in the ocean) in order to save our seas.

While Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one of the best ways we can revive our seas worldwide - this film couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, from a more appropriate place.

Right now - North Central California is the current focus of an important effort to establish a balanced network of MPAs throughout the state. Unfortunately, industry special interests are battling against years of thoughtful planning and public input to try to pressure the state to weaken the protected area plan for the North Central Coast (called the "Preferred Alternative"). Like Yosemites of the sea, people can still dive, swim and surf in these areas - but they protect wildlife and habitat in the area from harm.

NRDC's MPA experts have been integral in shaping the "Preferred Alternative"- an effective, but balanced plan for the MPAs in the North Central Coast that would protect the whole ocean food web in about 11 percent of the state's waters in the region.

California's Fish and Game Commission will make a final decision in August about what these areas will look like, but you can let them know by MAY 14 that you support NRDC's vision for thriving oceans and clean beaches and the "Preferred Alternative" by sending a letter.

And if you're in the Sacramento area, you can show up to the public meeting in person on May 14 at to let the state know you want California's ocean protected.

In the meantime, enjoy the film.

New oceans film from Ari Marcopoulos & NRDC coming soon!

2009-04-23T14:28:49Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

Photographer and filmmaker Ari Marcopoulos has works in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Detroit Institute of the Arts (the Berkeley Museum of Arts is doing a survey exhibition of his work in opening in September). Over the years he has worked with a motley crew of other artists - from Andy Warhol to the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Fab 5 Freddy, Adam Kimmel and Josh Brolin.

Soon, the Natural Resources Defense Council will be on the list. Here he is in our office last week when he came by to give us a first peek at a near-final cut of his next work, "Seventy-One Percent of Earth":

Ari's film is narrated by Emmy Award-winner Peter Coyote and stars a handful of surfers in the water and helping NRDC get the word out about reviving our oceans through Marine Protected Areas, including Rusty & Greg Long, Grant " Twiggy" Baker, Brian Conley, Frank Solomon and Anthony Tashnick. Three of these guys were nominated in the big wave awards (2 won their category).

Here's a preview of what to expect - more to come soon!:

Want to see more action toward healthy oceans nationwide? Tell your representatives in Congress you want a national Healthy Oceans Act here.

Four steps to healthy coral reefs

2009-03-27T13:42:14Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

I'm by no means an avid snorkeler, but I've gone a few times in my life on various vacations. I've seen fish almost the same size as myself, accidentally stared down a barracuda, and even had a close encounter with a rather large stingray once in Mexico.

Each time, however, I've had this quiet voice in the back of my head wondering why the reef never looked the same as it does in the pages of National Geographic.

Earlier this week, I got a little big of insight from the Smithsonian Institute's Sant Chair for Marine Science, Dr. Nancy Knowlton, who gave a presentation to NRDC experts about her work with coral ("Coral Reefs: Present, past and future").

Turns out, I might have had better luck in the '70s, since she said 80 percent of coral in the Caribbean has disappeared in the last 30 years (Pacific reefs are not far behind). One third of reef-building coral face extinction risk from climate change and local impacts, according to Dr. Knowlton. And one of the simplest, but most important points she made was - when we're talking about reefs - we're not just talking about coral. We're really talking about all the life connected to it.

Dr. Knowlton gave a really good breakdown of the threats facing coral, but my favorite takeaway from her presentation was the succinct solutions for protecting coral reefs that she offered:

Short term solutions for healthy coral reefs (things we know how to do)

Control fishing pressure so life eats seaweed in the water. This doesn't mean banning all fishing - it means finding a structure that makes sense.
Improve water quality. We can do this in a lot of ways, for example: green infrastructure improvements to our cities (like green roofs, permeable pavement, natural landscaping and rain barrels) to stop polluted runoff from contaminating waterways.

Long term solutions for healthy coral reefs (things that are more difficult)

We have to reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere that is causing global warming, dissolving in our seas and making the oceans acidic. You can help by reducing your personal energy consumption - tips for doing this are here.
Capture and restore the diversity of life in the sea. Do you part by choosing sustainable seafood options rather than eating struggling fish populations or fish caught in a destructive manner. Check the status of your favorite fish at Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch here. Or find out on the spot by texting "FishPhone," Blue Ocean Institute's instant text message service to immediately assess specific fish and get alternatives to poor choices. Just send a text to 30644 and in the body write "fish" and the name of the fish you are curious about (for example: "fish salmon"). They will reply back to your phone.

Marine Protected Areas (think underwater national parks, or as I prefer - Yosemites of the sea) are one of the best things we can do to help our oceans be resilient in the face of the threats facing them. Australia, for example, put one third of the Great Barrier Reef on a "no take" protection and saw great success, Dr. Knowlton said.

Right now less than 2 percent of the world's reefs are protected - that number must go up. A great start would be a national network of Marine Protected Areas to give our coral reefs - and our seas - a chance to bounce back.

Giant trash dump in Pacific is bad for sea life - but you can make it better

2009-03-26T16:32:46Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

At first, I was glad to see the Wall Street Journal headline "How Big Is That Widening Gyre of Floating Plastic?" yesterday.

But after reading on, I found the piece really misses the point when it came to the giant, floating plastic trash dump in our ocean dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The author spent much of the article debating whether environmentalists were inflating the size of the plastic gyre (is it twice the size of the U.S. or just twice the size of Texas?).

I'm not a scientist and I don't know the answer - but I think it's pretty obvious that even the smallest estimate is not good, and we know why. And with so many really simple things we can do every day (scroll down for tips) that help keep it from growing, you'd think the 1,290 words the Journal devoted to this article could have been used more productively.

To give you a little background: Years of bottles, bags, toys, packaging and plastic trash from all corners of the Earth are swirling in a plastic whirlpool in the North Pacific. Discarded water bottles from Iowa, takeout containers from New York City, flip-flops from California and plastic debris from the world over make their way from land into storm drains, streams, rivers and other waterways. They are carried out sea, where they get trapped in swirling ocean currents - forming a giant, floating trash dump of an enormous proportion - no matter how you quantify it.

In December one of our experts (who is a scientist) on NRDC's oceans team, Dr. Lisa Suatoni, went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about plastic pollution with a bunch of ocean critters borrowed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

The most charismatic of those critters was Makana, a sea bird called a Laysan albatross from Hawaii. Albatrosses are a good poster child for this issue because plastic pollution is killing them en masse. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, on an island in the middle of the Pacific (1,000 miles from the nearest big city), 40 percent of Laysan albatross chicks die from eating plastic pollution. This is because plastic never dissolves, but just degrades into tiny particles.

It bobs on the water's surface, and the chicks' parents (like other birds, turtles & marine line) mistake it for food. The parents then accidentally feed their babies bottle caps and lighters, mistaking them for their natural diet of squid and other fish eggs, which float just like plastic. The chicks' bellies fill up with the plastic trash, leaving no room for food - and they starve to death. (You can watch a short video of Makana, and see a tube full of the plastic trash that was pulled from one chick's stomach at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's site here.)

"Scientists estimate that around the world, up to one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from eating plastic," according to Monterey Bay Aquarium's site.

So - a giant, floating trash dump in the ocean is bad for the animals that live there (including endangered ones) no matter how you size it. It's huge and it's causing problems. If you want to help, the best thing you can do is reduce the amount of plastic trash you create.

Here are some simple steps you can take to help do this:

1) Recycle your plastic whenever possible.
2) Carry a reusable canvas tote to the store instead of getting more plastic bags.
3) At the grocery store, select items packaged in glass over plastic.
4) Use reusable plastic containers. Carry your own mug for your morning coffee, or even bring your own containers from home to a restaurant if you anticipate leftovers.
5) Make sure unrecyclable trash ends up in a trash can, not on the street.

20 years after Exxon Valdez, it's time for a clean energy economy

2009-03-24T17:10:54Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

The images of oil-soaked birds and other animals were burned on my brain as a kid in 1989, when the Exxon Valdez spill happened in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Those desperate, tragic pictures made a big impression on me at a young age, and I carry them with me today in the work that I do. (The AP photo that ran with the Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog post today is a perfect example.)

But while I was taking in the images from the TV screen and pages of magazines 20 years ago today, our ocean initiative director, Sarah Chasis, was doing something about it.

As OnEarth magazine reported, Sarah was fighting for better oil tanker regulations at the federal level to prevent future Exxon Valdez-like catastrophes. And she took the battle to the courtroom in the early 1990s, when she filed suit against the Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to get ships like Exxon Valdez, which can easily lead to spills if they are involved in collisions, out of our waters in accordance with the Oil Pollution Act. Her actions even led her to receive the first-ever Coastal Steward of the Year Award from NOAA in 1992.

Today, there is another culprit raising the risks of oil spills even closer to home - just off our beaches, up and down the East and West Coasts. That culprit is new offshore drilling, after the nearly 30-year-old moratorium on this kind of drilling was lifted in the waning months of the Bush Administration last fall.

Over the years, Sarah and the Natural Resources Defense Council have also steadfastly fought to keep the moratorium on offshore drilling in place during the three decades it protected us from the consequences of drilling so close to our shores - but the protections were finally lifted. And that's bad news if you don't want to worry about spills at your favorite beach.

Just think: if the Exxon Valdez spill had happened on the East Coast, it would have extended from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

Oil drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf is still pouring thousands of gallons of oil into our oceans every year. In fact, as storms and hurricanes have intensified, the number of OCS oil spills has increased. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone resulted in 125 spills of petroleum products from platforms, rigs, and pipelines on the OCS, totaling 685,000 gallons

Not only does this spell tragedy for most fish and other marine species, spills are expensive - financial repercussions could be drastic for our $32 billion commercial fishing and $60 billion ocean and coastal tourism and recreation industries. And according to the National Academy of Sciences, cleanup methods can only remove a small fraction of oil spilled in marine waters. Do I need to even mention that while we risk these environmental and economic nightmares, new drilling won't even have a significant impact on gas prices...?

The 20 year anniversary should remind us that we cannot drill our way to lower gas prices or energy independence. The time has come to invest in a clean energy that will jumpstart our economy, create jobs and give us energy security.

You can support the work Sarah Chasis and the NRDC are doing by visiting us here: http://www.nrdc.org/joingive/.

New York Times: Save our seas by curbing your emissions

2008-12-12T20:19:16Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

I was thrilled to see the New York Times editorial yesterday "The Oceans' Shifting Balance," which talked about what all the CO2 emissions in our air are doing to our oceans.

CO2 pollution – the same that is contributing to global warming – is also turning our oceans acidic. As the Times pointed out, this has devastating effects on coral:

"The growth of coral reefs will slow, and their structural integrity would be weakened, making them more vulnerable to storms and erosion. That would be a catastrophic loss."

Basically, coral has to build to stay alive – acidification makes this more difficult and corrodes it. Coral is constantly challenged by physical erosion from waves and acidification adds chemical erosion to the mix. (Not to mention, coral are already under stress because global warming is raising water temperatures and causing coral reef bleaching. Coral won’t be able to handle the 1-2 punch of bleaching and acidification.)

Chances are you’ve seen coral at some point in your life – on TV or through a snorkeling mask – and can understand what this means for our reefs.

But I’m guessing you probably haven’t heard of another early victim of ocean acidification – sea angels:

Watch them swim here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB5recdpPaI&feature=related.

Acidification affects the mineral that these sea angels (aka pteropods) use to build their shells. It takes them longer to build, and makes their shells weak and fragile, almost like osteoporosis. Scientists believe these creatures will eventually die-off as the oceans become more acidic.

Not only is this a problem because these are adorable and fascinating creatures – but they are a food source for fish around the world, including baleen whales (most whales). We all know how a food chain works – and chances are that loss would be felt up and down the line.

Additionally – research indicates that acidification also harms a wide variety of other ocean critters, including oysters, mussels, starfish, sea urchins, crabs, and important phytoplankton at the base of the food chain.

So what do we do? How do we stop the oceans from turning into a vat of acid and burning up all the cute little sea angels?

First, you can help improve the overall health of the ocean by eating sustainably caught seafood instead of overfished species, and supporting government initiatives such as more Marine Protected Areas (think National Parks of the sea) and a national Healthy Oceans Act.

But you can also fight acidification the same way we fight global warming for the rest of the planet – energy efficiency and breaking our addiction to oil.

By reducing our CO2 emissions we’re saving the oceans, so the same simple steps that help fight global warming – also help the sea.

So ride your bike when you can, use public transportation, or carpool to work. Make the switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Keep your thermostat only as warm (or cool) as you need it. Look for EnergyStar appliances. For more tips, check out NRDC’s website: http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp.

You’re not just doing it for yourself – you’re doing it for the sea angels.

The Great White Way Goes Green with NRDC

2008-11-26T15:22:27Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

Just hours after the sad news that Broadway icon Gerald Schoenfeld passed away, Mayor Bloomberg took the stage of the O'Neill Theater to announce a plan that would have made Gerry proud - Broadway is "greening itself" by making its operations more environmentally friendly.

The mayor told the crowd he had second thoughts about coming to the theater yesterday, after hearing Gerry - a dear friend and Broadway legend - had passed. That changed, however, when he spoke to Gerry's wife, who told him - in true Broadway fashion - Gerry would've wanted the show to go on.

And so it did. From the set of "Spring Awakening," Mayor Bloomberg announced Broadway's "green awakening" - made possible by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Yes, the Great White Way has gone green. The news was ushered in with an original song written by Tony nominated composer/lyricist Nell Benjamin and radio host/Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky - and performed by a host of Broadway performers (watch video of the performance from the City of New York's website here - song starts at about minute 21:30). It was complete with cameos from Elphaba from Wicked, Frank from Young Frankenstein and Nicky from Avenue Q - all of whom are (literally) green Broadway characters themselves.

NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Allen Hershkowitz - the environmental voice behind Broadway's greening process, though not singing or wearing green makeup, took the stage as well. Allen has been the driving and guiding force behind helping Broadway go green. He's also the man behind several similar "greening" projects - including Major League Baseball, the U.S. Open, the Oscars and the Grammys.

Allen told the crowd at the O'Neill Theater that one of the great things about improving Broadway's carbon footprint - in New York and in the 240 cities that host traveling shows around the country - is that theatergoers won't even be able to see the difference, outside from more visible recycling facilities. Broadway can better its practices without compromising the production quality that gives it its reputation. Greening is indeed largely behind the scenes.

Among the changes - 10 of the 39 Broadway theaters have already replaced the lighting on their marquees with energy efficient bulbs, and 14 others are on their way. For specifics on the other steps Broadway is taking to go green - from washing costumes in cold water and recycling stage sets to purchasing carbon offsets - go to: http://www.nrdc.org/media/2008/081125a.asp.

In his remarks to the crowd yesterday, Wicked Producer David Stone remembered Gerry Schoenfeld for always setting the right example for the Broadway community - both within the industry and outside of it. He recounted a time when Gerry took him to lunch after Wicked became a hit, and recalled he told him that he now had a responsibility to find ways to give back. It was always with those words in mind, David said, that he approached his role in greening Broadway.

NOTE: To find out what you can do to be a greener Broadway fan, check out these 10 easy tips from NRDC.

(Photos courtesy of the City of New York)

At midnight: offshore oil rigs can go up, gas prices won't go down

2008-09-30T14:00:07Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

Like so many people - to me, there is no better place for a complete mental escape and recharge than the beach. There's just something incomparably relaxing about basking in the sun, sleeping in the sand, and bathing in the salt water (only enhanced by sipping on a margarita).

But at midnight tonight, Big Oil is disturbing my peace.

The nearly 30-year-old ban on drilling off U.S. coasts will be lifted, after empty promises from Big Oil that it's going to ease the pain in Americans' wallets due to high gas prices.

Oil rigs can now intrude on the horizon of my serene ocean views, spills can threaten my swims and the surrounding wildlife (I can't help the flashbacks of oil-soaked birds from the Exxon-Valdez catastrophe), roads and drilling infrastructure can tear up the wetlands, dirty the air and overpower the sound of crashing waves.

Yes, the oil rigs can go up three miles from the shore. But no, gas prices will not go down, and our oil addiction will not be cured. Why?

We can't drill our way out of this problem - the U.S. has less than three percent of the world's oil.
It's not even a temporary fix - we won't see a drop of new oil for 10 years - and that's according to the Bush Administration, who led the call for lifting the ban.
Drilling just keeps America dependant on oil - good for Big Oil, bad for you.

Drilling won't save us from high gas prices. The only way we can protect ourselves from paying a fortune for gas is by using less gas.

We need a real solution that will help America survive the energy crisis and create new jobs during these tough economic times. The government should be investing in clean energy options instead of focusing on dead-end drilling offshore. If it started on the right track today - in 10 years (when we'd get that first drop of new oil), we can instead create millions of new jobs, head off the worst of climate change, and clean up the air.

The next President and the next Congress will have the chance to reinstate the moratorium on offshore drilling that has protected our coasts for decades. It's up to them to break free from Big Oil's choke-hold, so we can implement innovative energy solutions, end our dependence on oil, and re-power America.

And at the same time hold on to our precious beach escapes.

Humpback whale watching in New York Harbor?

2008-09-17T19:09:45Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

I’ve gone whale watching a few times in my life. It's always been on a boat off the shore of a quaint, sleepy, coastal New England small town – bundled in a blanket, early in the morning, saltwater stinging my frozen face, and binoculars gripped tightly.

I’ve never actually spotted a whale on any of those trips. Who’d have thought I might have better luck from my roof of my Brooklyn apartment building, binoculars pointed toward the Statue of Liberty?

That just may be true, according to this Science Daily article I read today that said scientists are hearing whales singing in the waters around New York City. And not just any whales – endangered species – including fin, North Atlantic right and humpback whales.

As exciting as it is to think about catching a humpback unexpectedly splashing Lady Liberty the next time you take a water taxi through New York Harbor, the reality is there are a lot of dangers for whales in the water around us – aka “acoustic smog” associated with such activities as shipping – that interfer with whales' ability to communicate using sound.

As our marine mammal fellow, Liz Alter, described it to me – just as it’s hard for people to see very far away in a smoggy city, it’s hard for whales to navigate through acoustic smog in the water.

But the study that picked up on the whale songs in our area (which was created due to a law NRDC pushed for to encourage New York state to take leadership in protecting its ocean resources) is helping researchers better understand whales' migratory patterns by listening to their songs. In the future, it will hopefully lead to a system of buoys in the area that can pick up whale songs to warn ships when they are traveling near whales to keep them safe. A system like this already exists in Cape Cod.

Hopefully this study means the next time we hear humpbacks swimming by New York City, we’ll be better prepared to keep them safe.

Suddenly makes a ride on the Staten Island Ferry sound more interesting, doesn’t it?

(Update: For more on whales and noise - check out this post.)

President Bush’s ocean legacy is “blue-washed”

2008-09-04T15:41:53Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

So, you probably know President Bush wants to open up the nearly 30-year moratorium on offshore drilling in our already struggling oceans – risking oil spills, increasing global warming pollution, creating more waste and further developing our coasts. But, by the way – he also wants you to remember him for leaving behind a “blue legacy.”

You’re not alone if that puzzles you too.

I remember raising an eyebrow the first time I heard about Mr. Bush’s quest for a “blue legacy” in 2006 after he established the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. I was impressed (though I must admit, surprised) then.

In light of his loud calls to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling lately, I did more than raise an eyebrow yesterday when I read this New York Times editorial, entitled "Mr. Bush's Blue Legacy."

To the President’s credit – on one hand, he seems to be trying to do right by the oceans. After all, he established the largest MPA in the world when he created the one off the coast of Hawaii, and is now fighting for more – in the Pacific near the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and the Line Islands. And MPAs have proven to be one of the best ways to help the ocean sustain and restore populations of marine life. They are critical in reviving our seas.

But on the other hand (and it’s a BIG other hand) – we’ve also heard the President’s repeated cries to lift the ban on offshore drilling, despite experts insistence that it won’t lower gas prices, and instead will come with serious adverse environmental and economic consequences for our oceans and our coastal communities.

I’m glad the President is making an effort to set aside underwater national parks in the Pacific Ocean – that action is important and should not be discounted. However, if Mr. Bush wants to be known for leaving behind a blue legacy – he can't push to lift the moratorium that protects our nation’s coastlines from oil drilling.

(Toxic) Shrimp Cocktail

2008-08-29T16:18:28Z

Kate Slusark, Media Relations Associate, New York, Communications

Ask any Marylander – when you’re born and raised there, the Chesapeake Bay is a big deal. It’s a part of who you are. And I am no exception.

As a kid at my grandparents’ house on Irish Creek – a little inlet of the Bay – I would spend hours “chicken-necking” for Maryland blue crabs – an appropriately named process, as it involves dangling chicken necks into the water from a piece of twine and waiting for crabs to pinch at the bait so you can swoop them up with a net. At nine years old, I remember the pride on my dad’s face when I single-handedly caught three and a half dozen crabs in one day (a meal that could now run you upwards of $150 in a restaurant).

When I was 15, I stopped eating meat – yes, including crabs. But after a few years the Maryland girl in me started caving – and crabs became the one exception to my animal-free diet. Over the years, I’ve slowly incorporated other shellfish – mussels, oysters, lobster.

Most recently, I added shrimp to my list. This was particularly pivotal because it brought sushi to another level for me. I traded cucumber and avocado rolls for spicy shrimp, shrimp & mango, and shrimp tempura. But just before lunchtime yesterday – as I was day dreaming about the sushi special around the corner ($8.50 for any two rolls and a salad!) – our sustainable seafood expert sent me a few links about (sigh) shrimp.

You can imagine my disappointment upon reading that most of the shrimp we find on menus and in markets is either harvested from industrial ponds in tropical foreign countries where they’re exposed to untreated sewage, pesticides and antibiotics – or is caught by U.S. fisherman through bottom trawling, which clear-cuts our ocean floor and traps unwanted other sea life like sea turtles (called by-catch) along the way.

I got gazpacho.

The good news is, to be environmentally responsible and avoid eating a meal that’s been festering in a stew of bacteria and chemicals – I don’t have to cross shrimp off my list all together. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified the first-ever sustainable shrimp fishery – Oregon Pink Shrimp – last winter. I’m not yet sure where to find this on the East Coast – but after yesterday, I’m on the lookout. Let’s hope some more shrimp fisheries follow their lead.

P.S. Check all of your seafood purchases for blue MSC certification stickers to help make better choices for the ocean.