Blue Ocean Institute'sNEXT WAVE program invites young people to take the lead in inspiring ocean conservation through vivid and informed communication about the relationship that all life has with the ocean.
"The ocean displays to us a dismissive, inscrutable exterior, all motion and mood, all mask and disguise, seemingly rolling on as always, the extent of her wrinkles never varying over time. But don’t underestimate her. Because 99 percent of Earth’s living space is in the seas, this planet would likely bear abundant life if no land existed. But without an ocean, this planet would merely spin unnamed three orbits from a star, its browned-out face its own sterile moonscape. How do we begin to acknowledge a debt of such magnitude?"
Wherever on Earth we find ourselves, the ocean contributes to events that affect our lives. We feel the ocean through the climate we live in, the rain that falls and the crops it nurtures. It is in the oxygen we breathe and the seafood we may enjoy; in fact, without an ocean, life would be impossible. Understanding these concepts makes us ocean literate. Ocean literacy is key to communicating the future of life on this ocean planet and to developing future conservation efforts.
Are you Ocean Literate? Take the Ocean Literacy Quiz and see how well you do.
Blue Ocean Institute's NEXT WAVE unites a diverse body of young people who are curious about our ocean planet. Our mission is to provide opportunities that build on their curiosity, and encourage confidence toward their development as creative and effective ocean conservation leaders. We combine Blue Ocean's practice of applying a sound science base to works of art and literature with the principles of ocean literacy to expand the pedagogy of ocean conservation.
The Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts that define ocean literacy were developed by a group of scientists and science educators for inclusion in K-12 curricula. To learn more about these efforts visit www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy.
This website has been made possible through grants by the Babson Foundation and KeySpan-National Grid.
