Sea Worthy News
March 2020
Advocate, Educate, Activate!
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New Members -
Welcome aboard!
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NAMEPA is pleased to welcome our new corporate members: Bahamas Maritime Authority, Cheniere Energy and the Port of Long Beach!
All have indicated their sincere commitment to Save Our Seas and support the work of NAMEPA!
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NAMEPA Tackles the Super Bowl!
Boyd Anderson Students score a Touch Down at the inaugural Green Tailgate Event!
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NAMPEA tackled its first Green Tailgate Event in Miami, FL!
The event supported NAMEPA’s educational and social media campaign “Change One Habit, Change the World” which encourages changing one simple habit (for instance, using reusable rather than single-use bags) to change the world. Students from Boyd Anderson High School learned about the marine environment, plastics and recycling through challenging activities including a “Recycle on the Run”,
“Food Web Jenga”, a “A Trashy Timeline” game, and “Sharks and Turtles Bean Bag Toss”.
Several NAMEPA members sponsored and participated in the event including Port Everglades, Cargill, The American Club, SMIT Salvage, and Total Marine Solutions Florida. In addition, 12 members of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sector Miami volunteered for the event. Also joining the fun were
former NFL player Ovie Mughelli, his educational foundation, and former NFL player Sean Witherspoon, to inspire and challenge the students!
While in southern Florida, NAMEPA also participated in a beach cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy in Key Biscayne, mounted a display at the Ovie Mughelli Foundation’s Green Tailgate in Miami Beach, and visited member MSC Cruise’s Environmental Pavilion at the Super Bowl Village in South Beach.
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NAMEPA Awarded as Adult and Youth Volunteer Of the Year.
Each year the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, honors a volunteer organization for their service. This year, NAMEPA has been nominated by the Bridgeport YMCA as
Adult and Youth Volunteer of the Year for our service in 2019
.
NAMPEA has continuously volunteered each summer educating the YMCA campers on the marine environment and promoting STEM based learning. Campers participate in an immersive hands-on eight week program culminating in a beach clean-up and receive a Marine Environment Protector's Certificate.
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Save Our Seas: NAMEPA’s
Parent Survival Series
One of the many challenges we are facing with the COVID-19 virus is the closing of schools in order to mitigate the impacts of the virus on our communities.
As more and more communities are going into lockdown, we know finding resources that can support the "new normal" is invaluable
NAMEPA is here to support you with weekly at-home friendly activities and lessons that align with fundamentals of ocean literacy.
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NAMEPA as a Service
Our members and the industry at large know NAMEPA to be a consolidator of industry, regulators, conservation groups and educators. They know us for our educational outreach to mariners and the public at large. They know us to be active proponents of environmental stewardship, and appreciate our efforts to “Save Our Seas”.
But NAMEPA as a service?? Now that is new!
Given the daily changes and constraints designed to protect society from COVID-19, our world has changed with new challenges. Two that popped out to the NAMEPA team were the plight of parents who are quarantined with active and inquisitive students! Yes, they are getting remote learning, but what about hands on? The other is how to remain upbeat and purposeful when things seem to be getting out of control?
NAMEPA has worked over the past two weeks to develop two programs to support our members, and the industry at large. Our first, the Parent’s Survival Series, supports parents during this challenging time by providing weekly activities for K-12 that will not only enrich a student’s education, but also broaden their interest in the marine environment. Each week we are supplying specific learning and activity programming for students of all ages, along with links to NAMEPA materials. This will further be supplemented by social media posts where we will be targeting a specific activity or area of engagement.
In addition, NAMEPA has developed a “Change One Habit, Change the World” initiative designed to help people identify a habit they can change weekly during this time that can actually HELP the planet. Not only will you feel productive, it will also lead you to feeling better about today’s circumstances!
We hope that the industry will benefit from these two initiatives. We continue to work (remotely) to fulfill our mission and support our members and the industry!
Be well and stay safe!
Carleen
Carleen Lyden Walker,
Co-Founder/Executive Director
IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador
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Art Contest Deadline Extended!
K-12 Student Art Contest: Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Future”
Have you submitted your original creative poster illustrating actions the shipping industry is undertaking for the future of our planet?! The NAMEPA annual art calendar contest is open and accepting submissions
through April 30th
!
For complete art contest guidelines, submission instructions, prize details, and more information about the maritime shipping industry
click here.
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Internships Available!
Calling all high school and college students! NAMEPA is gearing up for another educational and fun-filled outreach season! Enjoy teaching and are good with kids? Want to learn more about the maritime industry? Ready to dive in and Save Our Seas? Apply to be a NAMEPA intern!!
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Crisis or Change??
NAMEPA Chooses Change One Habit/Change the World
No on can deny we are going through tumultuous times. Businesses, schools and houses of worship are closed. We are working remotely to ensure "social distancing" and there has been a shortage of some foods and even toilet paper! NAMEPA has chosen to take action with its Change One Habit/Change the World Campaign. Weekly we are going to send activities on what YOU can do to stay positive and active. In doing so, you will help Save Our Seas - and your sanity! Start today and Change One Habit - and Change the World!!
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How the Shipping Industry & Scientists work together for the benefit of marine animals.
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Have you ever wondered how scientists’ study acoustic interference in marine animals without creating noise? On February 19, NAMEPA attended a NOAA and National Marine Sanctuaries webinar on Passive Acoustic Monitoring; the impact of noise on marine animals and how we can all work together to coexist.
Sound is one of the most important senses marine animals have. The deeper you go in the water column the less light is available and sight is less dependable. Marine animals rely more on sound to
acoustically sense their surroundings, communicate, locate food and protect themselves. Marine animals listen in two ways: actively and passively.
Passive listening is something a shark might do listening for an injured animal while active listening (emitting and receiving sounds) may be used for communication, finding each other or attracting a mate for reproduction.
The ocean is a noisy place with all the sounds marine animals make but that is not the only sound in the water. The underwater environment is filled with biotic and abiotic sounds that exist all the time. Biotic sounds from animals themselves, – snapping shrimp, whale calls, dolphin chirps - many animals making sounds all the time. Abiotic sounds come from wind, ice breaking, shipping and boat activity, oil platforms, the ocean floor, earthquakes and crashing waves. It can be quite loud under there!
So, why study underwater sound? How is it done without adding to the noise? Scientists at NOAA are using Passive Acoustic Monitoring, PAM to monitor biotic and abiotic sound without adding to the noise by placing their device, such as a hydrophone, in the water to collect data over time giving the scientists information on where human generated noise is altering the sound scape in a way that affects the marine animal populations. With PAM, scientists not only listen to ships noise but also mating calls that when studied over time can be used to predict or estimate mating habits. This information will also be used to study how certain marine animals react to boat/ship noise when they encounter them. Acoustic monitoring data combined with known marine animal behavior provide scientists important information on how we can coexist. Passive Acoustic data has provided enough data for suggestions to be made in certain seasons (mating and bearing of offspring) for speed reduction zones in shipping lanes, decreasing the number of ship strikes as well as a decrease in human generated noise.
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The Power of Mentorship
by guest author, Christine Spencer
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My name is Christine Spencer. I am a Sales and Marketing Support Representative at COSCO Shipping North America. I completed a Master of Science in International Transportation Management at SUNY Maritime College in December of 2019. I packed up my psychology degree, a life in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, and a career for a chance to thrive in the maritime industry.
Although every career change or entry requires a learning curve the maritime industry has a unique set of challenges to the average newcomer that must be addressed to succeed. To begin, although our industry is vast it operates largely incognito. For those who are not aware of where to look. This becomes a particular challenge when attempting to break into the industry by building connections. For an industry that relies heavily on networking, the space to do so can be hard to locate without having a guide on where and who to look for. In addition, the maritime world speaks its own language and requires its own vocabulary that can be very difficult to grasp on one's own. Lastly, the complexity of this global industry is so large and at times so divided that it can be difficult for a newcomer to piece together the various necessary entities that make up global shipping into one cohesive picture.
With the unique challenges it is crucial for any newcomer to have at minimum one dedicated mentor. I was fortunate enough to have several. Professor Drogan (SUNY Maritime), who I never had the pleasure of taking a course with, found me aimlessly wandering around the halls of our graduate building and invited me into his office to chat. That chat led to countless conversations full of wisdom and to organizations such as the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) and Young Shipping Professionals (YSP.) Having this one mentor spurred my personal and professional development and led me to new contacts that were essential to my learning. By attending a CMA lunch, I met another mentor, Captain Peter Swift, who is the General Manager for the Maritime Industry Foundation (MIF). Captain Swift allowed me to work alongside him and for the foundation which promotes education and awareness of the maritime industry globally. This was a crucial turning point for my success in the industry. Through Captain Swift and the connections, he shared I was able to attend the CMA Shipping Conference, the largest shipping conference in North America, and Marine Money NYC.
At these events I was able to be inspired by dozens of women attending a WISTA luncheon and meet industry professionals I would have never had the chance to otherwise meet. One of these being Carleen Walker. At the WISTA luncheon, I had the pleasure of sitting with Carleen (Co-Founder and Executive Director of NAMEPA) and being stunned by the amount she was involved in. As I attended more events, I became better connected with her. She so graciously volunteered her time to meet one on one with me. Although the purpose of the meeting was to provide career guidance, she took the time to tell me her story. A story of a woman who forged her way in a male dominated industry and succeeded time and time again. I also had the honor of witnessing Carleen in action at Shipping Insight 2020 and NAMEPA’s Annual Conference. The combination of the time I have spent with her and what I have seen Carleen accomplish, has further inspired me to be a strong woman with a name for myself in this industry while continuing to persevere and adapt overtime.
NAMEPA’s conference was a breath of fresh air. It was wonderful to witness NAMEPA’s passion for education. There were more student attendees than I had seen at any of the conferences, including many in high school. Art made by elementary schools from all over the United States filled the room. The art featured inspiring scenes of women of color being mates on ships and healthy sea animals in clear waters.
I could go through an entire list of mentors I have so gratefully had the experience of working with even after graduation and into my professional role in the industry. I could also list wonderful moments I have witnessed due to their kindness. However, the point is not who in particular helped me or what I have been so fortunate to attend, it is what these mentors did for my development that is crucial for readers to take away from this article.
For those of you who have been in the industry, regardless of your role today, take time to remember what it was like entering it (no matter how you came to do so.) The learning curve can be intimidating, and we can all admit to that. It is important to remember as we move forward how we can serve as mentors to newcomers in our industry.
The maritime industry is in flux, we are evolving at a rapid pace and at a point where working together to achieve goals is necessary. To reach the innovation we desire to achieve and to continue the legacy of the great work done before new participants must have a guide. This guide must be willing to take the time necessary to point them in the direction of events, people, resources and beyond that will continue to expound and eventually lead to their development as a leader, innovator and active participant in an industry we all love.
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As the year winds down we look back with pride on what we all - our members, partners and students of all ages - have accomplished together.
A picture (or video!) truly says a thousand words. NAMEPA is proud to present our 2019 Education Highlights....
A Million Dreams to Save Our Seas!
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Passionate about the seas? Want to make a difference? Overboard about ships? Get involved through an internship with NAMEPA!
Did you know that NAMEPA offers an immersive
internship program
for high school and college students? Our interns gain experience in environmental education, marine policy, the maritime industry, marketing, non-profit management, and more! In
terested?
Click here for more information!
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NAMEPA is thrilled to welcome Enfield High School!
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Where to find us next!
Upcoming Events
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Connecticut Maritime Association Conference
Stamford, CT
June 29-July
Stop by NAMEPA's booth during these the three day global maritime industry conference.
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Earth Day Festival
Seaside Park, Bridgeport, CT
August 1, 2020
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Join NAMEPA in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! We will be joining The Clean Earth Project Earth Day Festival at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, CT. Stop by and say hello! Not local to CT? Find an event near you as we celebrate climate action across North America!
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Annual Safety at Sea Conference and AMVER Awards
Washington D.C.
TBD
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Are you on Instagram?
Join NAMEPA in our new monthly campaign to create a more sustainable and healthier environment by making “Simple, Smart, Sustainable” choices. Repost YOUR choices to be featured on our Instagram! Just tag
@namepa1
and
#SaveOurSeas
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to learn more about the benefits of a
and how YOU can help to Save Our Seas!
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There is still time to submit your artwork!
The 11
th
annual art contest is open through April 30th on the IMO 2020 theme "Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet." Students will be challenged to come up with a creative image(s) depicting how the shipping industry is becoming more sustainable for the future of our planet. Don't wait -
click here to submit!
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Stay tuned for the next call for students papers! Demonstrate your passion for the Marine Sciences and participate in next year's marine science scholarship competition!
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How are we doing? Let us know!
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