FogHorn February 2, 2017 -  HEIRS TO OUR OCEANS

She spoke of how she loves to live near the ocean and explore tidepools, and of sea stars and the effects of disease on these little marine creatures. She spoke of Heirs to Our Oceans and how it will make the future better by encouraging people to protect the oceans, and introduced a brief documentary film which showed young people exploring, discovering and learning about marine life such as porpoises and the world of coral reefs. The film also focused on garbage thrown into the ocean, and the harm that causes to marine life. 
Aislinn talked about how young people are inspired to help the oceans and marine life. For example, she described how the death of a sea otter inspired a young volunteer to protect sea otters, and of another volunteer who came up with the message of "if you clean it, they will  come" about the San Francisco Bay. She talked about other efforts to help and protect marine life, such as untangling marine mammals like whales, which are key to the ecosystem, from fishing nets. 
The threat of plastics and plastic garbage thrown into the ocean was something the speakers emphasized, along with what can be done about it, and better options like recycling.
The more we learn, the more we realize what we need to do to protect the oceans, and the more we see that there are new and creative solutions to pollution problems, like "Plastic Busters." She encouraged the support of Bay Area schools for Heirs to Our Oceans clubs who do volunteer beach cleanups and who also get out the message of the need for protection of the oceans.
She spoke of taking to developing countries the message of how threats to the ocean affect livelihoods, and how young people can make changes and publicize the importance of making oceans clean and safe. She spoke of legislation around climate change.
She also spoke of plastic grocery bags and how banning them is a huge step forward that sets an example for other counties. She also spoke of the need for new laws. The oceans, she said, are too full of hidden treasures to give up on.
Next speaker Elijah, 10, talked about the little sea creatures called nudibranchs (he explained the name means "naked gills,")  which he first encountered when he was 4, and learned more about from someone who worked with the California Academy of Sciences. He showed photos of nudibranchs, and told of one of his own tidepool adventures when he counted nearly 200 of the little creatures.
The third speaker, Cambria, 12, spoke first of her volunteer work in save-the-oceans efforts  and combatting pollution  caused by plastics. She pointed out that simply pulling plastics out of the trash is not a solution, given the large amount of plastic materials that are thrown out in garbage and still find their way into the ocean. Small changes can make big differences, she said, like relying on re-usable items  instead of plastics. To illustrate how deeply rooted plastic is in our culture, she showed a photo of an old-style rotary phone, pointed out that it was made with plastic and asked how many among those present had ever had one of those. Several hands (including mine) went up. She asked listeners to think about common things made with plastic that we all throw away every day, which could end up in the ocean or in some seabird's stomach. She illustrated her point with a photo of plastic trash that she had collected from only a small area on the beach.
She spoke of the Heirs to Our Oceans mission, which is to inspire young people to speak up about real world problems, and championed efforts to start up Heirs chapters throughout the country. That's already happened in Kansas, Southern California and Pescadero, she said. 
Final speaker Janet Clark, Aislinn's mom, who discussed homeschool families involved with the Heirs to Our Oceans movement. She spoke of Via Senti, the nonprofit of which Heirs is a part, the young people who are inheriting the problems of ocean pollution and the hundreds of pounds of garbage collected from  beaches. On a positive note, she pointed out the "passion and enthusiasm" of the young people involved in causes like Heirs to  Our Oceans.
Further discussion highlighted Heirs chapters on the West Coast or in Japan, Heirs fundraising efforts, the  Heirs web site that showcases its work. Through it, interested young people can communicate with each other, share ideas and access  technological assistance. Elijah told a story about a passerby who observed a large number of sea stars dying on the land and threw one back into the ocean, and how that  made a difference to that one sea star. The oceans are kind to us and so we should return the favor, he said.