Friday, October 26, 2007

Do What You Can

Over the past year that I’ve been a member of Oceanblue Divers, I’ve sometimes found myself wondering if this is a dive club that also cares about the environment, or an environmental activism club that also happens to like diving. Certainly, the club has taken dive trips to destinations as exotic as Indonesia and as mundane as Dutch Springs. But the club’s focus has often been on environmental issues like shark finning and global warming, and events have raised funds and awareness for Sea Shepherd, the Shark Research Institute and Rob Stewart’s documentary "Sharkwater."

As founder Michael Feld will tell you, scuba diving and environmental activism go hand in hand. That, in fact, is what makes this club successful, he has said. And it’s true: as divers, we have a unique perspective and position to act as stewards of the undersea world that we love to explore, and of the creatures that live therein.

Environmental activism and conservationism can take many forms, however. You don’t have to be on the front lines with Paul Watson to save the oceans. You don’t have to join protests and circulate petitions to make a difference. You don’t even have to whip out your checkbook to save one shark. If you can and want to do all of those things, then of course, more power to you. The more you can do, the better. But every little bit helps.

If all you do is share your love of the ocean with someone else, that helps. If you convert a landlubber friend into a certified diver, that helps. If you take a child to the aquarium, that helps. These people will fall in love with the ocean and its creatures just as you did, and they too will want to help.

Someone suggested that I didn’t want to help save the oceans if I didn’t want to be an activist, a point of view that inspired me to write this piece. I believe every little bit helps. If I send a $10 check to Sea Shepherd, then obviously Paul Watson is doing much more than me to help save whales. But I’m still helping.

If you have time to send 100 emails a day to spread the word about shark finning, go for it. If you have the enthusiasm to hand out leaflets at street fairs, excellent. But if all you can do is take your family to see "Sharkwater," that’s fine too. Just do what you can.
 

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